Kommunikationen med myndigheter och förvaltningar via Internet har ökat under de senaste åren. Därför har vi valt att fokusera vårt kandidatarbete på detta områ-de, samt på behovet av användbara webbtjänster för medborgarna. I detta kandi-datarbete studerar vi en växande grupp användare, denna grupp är äldre medbor-gare. Under studien har vi analyserat 24-timmarsmyndighetens användbarhet ge-nom användartester. Kombinationen av samtal och möten med individer, iaktta-gelser av interaktioner och litteraturstudier ger oss möjligheten att utforska använ-darnas behov. Behovet hos användarna är det som är centralt i hur de uppfattar och interagerar med 24-timmarsmyndigheten. Webbplatserna vi har använt oss av vid våra användartester har anknytning till 24-timmarsmyndigheten. Genom att analytiskt studera informationen har vi kommit fram till fem viktiga designförslag och riktlinjer, som vi anser behövs när e-tjänster inom 24-timmarsmyndigheten utvecklas.

This paper reports a case study examining the effects on the shipboard work environment of an operative decision to change fuel oil type on two Swedish passenger vessels operating in the Baltic Sea. The results show positive changes in work tasks, reduced exposure to harmful pollutants evaporating from the fuel, reduced use of chemicals for cleaning, and a generally cleaner work environment. The outcome illustrates the benefit of a systems perspective when evaluating environmental interventions. Here, the intervention can be seen as an investment that not only reduces emissions to the environment, but contributes towards sustainable working life at sea.

Detta är en kvalitativ fenomenologisk studie som undersöker kontorsarbetares upplevelser av distansarbetets påverkan på socialt stöd. Studien betraktar förändringar i socialt stöd utifrån tre aspekter: möjligheten att ge stöd till kollegor, möjligheten att söka stöd i arbetet och möjligheten att ta emot stöd i arbetet. Studien ser även hur respondenterna uppfattar att förändringarna har påverkat deras välmående i arbetslivet. Materialet tolkas genom Karaseks och Theorells krav-kontroll-socialt stöd-modellen där socialt stöd delas in i instrumentellt och emotionellt stöd samt riktat och icke-riktat stöd. Studien kommer bland annat fram till att behov kring socialt stöd är mycket individuellt och personer ofta utgår från sina egna behov för att avgöra vilket stöd de anser att andra behöver vilket belyser vikten av dialog kring individuella behov för att skapa förutsättningar för välmående. Studien har även visat att djupa sociala interaktioner inte upplevs påverkas avsevärt av distansarbete men att ytliga sociala interaktioner märkvärt upplevs bli påverkat av distansarbete. Förändringen i ytliga sociala interaktioner påverkar det upplevda välmåendet negativt.

Knowledge and application of human factors and ergonomics (HFE) has significant potential as auseful tool and solution provider in the development, design and implementation of safe, efficient and sustainable artefacts and systems. Yet, it seems that this HFE knowledge is not utilised to its full potential. In a world of competing financial and commercial priorities, HFE specialists have apparently not succeeded in selling the systems approach as a tool towards improved overall systems performance and human well-being.

The present paper describes the strategic and practical workperformed by the Swedish Ergonomics and Human Factors Society (EHSS) to strengthen the quality of human factors and ergonomics knowledge and practice among various stakeholders in Sweden. EHSS view human factors and ergonomics as a systems and design oriented discipline that extends across all aspects of human activity. Beyond the traditional domains of specialization within the discipline, the physical, cognitive and organisational ergonomics, EHSS has identified three focus areas; visual ergonomics, voice ergonomics and ergonomics design for all.

Practitioner Summary: This paper presents the strategic and practical work performed by the Swedish Ergonomics and Human Factors Society (EHSS) in order to strengthen the quality of human factors and ergonomics knowledge and practice in Sweden. EHSS has identified three focus areas for its strategic work: visual ergonomics, voice ergonomics and ergonomics design for all.

Malfunctions in hydraulic systems can be tied to contaminations being the most prominentfactor for them to occur. Contaminations in hydraulic systems can lead to shorter lifetime forhydraulic components, oil leaks that can pollute surrounding environments and also increasethe risk of accidents happening if the systems do not work as intended. Cleanliness in hydraulicsystems is therefore an important success factor for organisations producing hydraulicallyoperated products, because if neglected it can negatively affect economic, environmental andsocial sustainability factors.This study was conducted at a production facility where market-leading hydraulically operatedproducts are manufactured. The purpose of the study was to investigate how activities such ashandling, storage, and assembly of hydraulic components in a production facility can affect therisk of contaminations being built into hydraulic systems. Experiments and observations wereused as the main data collection methods to collect different types of data and also to strengthenthe overall results obtained from the two different methods.The results showed that the assembly stage of hydraulic systems is where the most risks lie withpersonnel and production facility and equipment used being the most influential risk factors.This was also coupled to that all assembly activities, including the hydraulics, were performedin the same area for the product. It also showed that sedimented particles from the ambientenvironment at the assembly stage could mostly not be linked to particles found in analysedhydraulic oil samples taken from assembled products. The majority of sedimented particlesfound was also deemed to pose little risk of damaging the hydraulic systems.This study contributed to research by providing a real-world example of how internal processesin a production facility can affect the risk of particle contaminations being built into hydraulicsystems.

In environmental systems analysis tools like Life Cycle Assessment, strategic environmental assessment, cost benefit analysis and environmental management systems, results need to be presented in a comprehensible way to make alternatives easily comparable. One way of doing this is to aggregate results to a manageable set by using weighting methods.. In this paper, we explore how weighting methods are used in some selected Environmental Systems Analysis Tools (ESATs), and suggest possible developments of their use. We examine the differences in current use patterns, discuss the reasons for and implications of such differences, and investigate whether observed differences in use are necessary. The result of our survey shows that weighting and valuation is broadly used in the examined ESATs. The use of weighting/valuation methods is different in different tools, but these differences are not always related to the application; rather, they are related to traditions and views on valuation and weighting. Also, although the requirements on the weights/values may differ between tools, there are intersections where they coincide. Monetary weights, using either endpoint or midpoint methods, are found to be useful in all the selected tools. Furthermore, the inventory shows that that there is a common need for generic sets of weights. There is a need for further research focusing on the development of consistent value sets derived with a wide range of methods. In parallel to the development of weighting methods it is important with critical evaluations of the weighting sets with regard to scientific quality, consistency and data gaps.

The overall purpose of this paper is to explore the prerequisites that support the fuzzy front end of manufacturing technology development. An exploratory multiple embedded case study has been conducted at a Swedish manufacturing company in the manufacturing industry. By studying four pilot plants’ organisational structure and way of working, this paper contributes with an increased understanding regarding how the fuzzy front end of manufacturing technology development can be supported. This paper describes how a technology roadmap, the usage of master processes and a supportive organisational structure can support the fuzzy front end of new manufacturing technology development.

It is well known that a way of competing on a global market is through the introduction of new manufacturing technologies in the production system that can improve product quality as well as contribute to reducing manufacturing time, reduced product price and in the end increased profits. Manufacturing companies that develop and introduce new manufacturing technologies can differentiate themselves from others and thus achieve increased competitiveness.

The fuzzy front end of manufacturing technology development is characterized by a high degree of technology uncertainty and challenges due to the lack of access to relevant knowledge, lack of a structured development process, and enough resources that are working with development of new manufacturing technologies.

In the literature only a few empirical studies that explore the fuzzy front end of manufacturing technology development can be found. Prior research highlights that little is actually known about what should be done in the fuzzy front end of manufacturing technology development projects, and thus more research is needed. Supporting the fuzzy front end of manufacturing technology development is important to facilitate a successful introduction of new manufacturing technologies, fast time-to-volume and long-term production system development.

Based on the above-mentioned importance of developing new manufacturing technology, the objective of the research presented in this thesis is to explore the fuzzy front end of manufacturing technology development. In order to fulfil the objective, empirical data were collected from five case studies conducted in the manufacturing industry. During the empirical studies four important parts were studied: organising, knowledge development, collaboration and the development process.

The main findings revealed that development of new manufacturing technology is often conducted in collaboration with external partners and many ad hoc decisions are taken due to lack of a predefined development process for the fuzzy front end of manufacturing technology development. In addition, in the fuzzy front end access to relevant manufacturing knowledge is important and knowledge needs to be developed in order to reduce technology uncertainty.

In order to support the fuzzy front end of manufacturing technology development projects, a supporting framework has been developed. The proposed framework is an elaboration of results from the research questions addressed and can be used as a guideline to overcome the challenges observed in the fuzzy front end of manufacturing technology development projects. The framework is built on two important dimensions for innovations, degree of technology uncertainty and degree of novelty. The critical factors identified in the analysis are embedded in the proposed framework as central parts in the fuzzy front end of manufacturing technology development.

The purpose of this paper is to identify critical factors forcing manufacturing companies to improve the development of production technology in a machining environment. The focus in the paper is on industrial challenges within product design and production system development when introducing new products in a machining environment. Particular attention is given to the product development process and the production equipment acquisition process. A single case study is presented, consisting of interviews, observations, document studies and an analysis of a large Swedish manufacturing company. The case study company is characterized by advanced production technology, high mechanization and high automation level. In parallel with the case study a literature review was conducted in order to identify state-of-the-art methods/models for efficient design and product introduction within a production system. The paper identifies a gap in the current way of working within the case company as well as challenges regarding the development of production technology. Based on the study, the need for future research has been identified including the need of developing an improved working support for efficient production technology development when industrializing new products.

In order to compete within the manufacturing industry, there is a need to acquire and develop new manufacturing technologies to differentiate the company from others. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to analyse factors affecting development of a manufacturing technology in a joint development project with an equipment supplier. A longitudinal case study has been conducted at a Swedish manufacturing company and the collaboration between a manufacturing company and an equipment supplier has been studied. The findings reveal that tacit knowledge and good equipment supplier relationship are highly important factors that facilitate development of a manufacturing technology.

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to identify and analyze knowledge integration in manufacturing technology development projects required to build competitive advantages. Design/methodology/approach - A longitudinal case study has been conducted at a Swedish manufacturing company by following a manufacturing technology development project in real time during a two-year period. Findings - The results show that three different knowledge integration processes exist when developing unique manufacturing technology: processes for capturing, for joint learning, and for absorb learning. The findings of the current research suggest that the three knowledge integration processes are highly interrelated with each knowledge integration process affecting the other two. Research limitations/implications - The major limitation of the research is primarily associated with the single case, which limits generalizability outside the context that was studied. Practical implications - The findings are particularly relevant to manufacturing engineers working with the development of new manufacturing technologies. By using relevant knowledge integration processes and capabilities required to integrate the knowledge in manufacturing technology development projects, companies can improve design and organize the development of manufacturing technology. Originality/value - Previous research has merely noted that knowledge integration is required in the development of unique manufacturing technology, but without explaining how and in what way. This paper's contribution is the identification and analysis of three knowledge integration processes that contribute to the building of competitive advantages by developing unique manufacturing technology and new knowledge.

In order to compete within the manufacturing industry, there is a need to acquire and develop new manufacturing technologies to differentiate the company from others. This paper builds on extant operations management and innovation management literature with the focus on how to managing early manufacturing technology development. A multiple case study has been conducted at a Swedish manufacturing company in the automotive industry and our paper proposes a conceptual process for early manufacturing technology development and the key activities therein. The findings are relevant for managers working with long-term development and the paper concludes by discussing implications and research limitations.

The fuzzy front end of product development has been studied extensively in previous research, while the fuzzy front end of manufacturing technology development has been largely neglected despite its importance. Only a few empirical studies that examine the fuzzy front end of manufacturing technology development can be found, which have been primarily carried out in the process industry. Therefore, the overall purpose of this paper is to explore the fuzzy front end of manufacturing technology development. Based on three case studies carried out in the manufacturing industry, the findings of the current research highlight key activities in the fuzzy front end of manufacturing technology development and suggest that the fuzzy front end has four sub-phases with overlapping development activities. 

In order to support manufacturing companies in their digital transformation, challenges and views of the term 'digital transformation' need to be identified since digital transformation is considered a source of competitive advantages. Therefore, this paper aims to explore the challenges and differing views of digital transformation in the manufacturing industry. A case study was conducted in collaboration with four Swedish manufacturing companies. The results were then mapped into categories of three dimensions (people, process and technology), indicating that digital transformation can have different meanings within a company. We conclude that the term 'digitalisation' is more frequently used in the manufacturing industry than 'digital transformation' and identified challenges relate to lack of best practice for digital transformation, degree of standardisation and therefore affects the workload and limits the possibilities of transferring technical solutions between factories. Our findings are relevant to operations managers and other interested in digital transformation. 

Digital transformation of production systems is a challenging task that demands radical responses from existing organizations. During the digital transformation of productions systems tensions occur that need to be managed and the purpose of this paper is to identify paradoxes in the digital transformation of production systems. Paradox theory has been applied as an analytical framework when identifying digital transformation paradoxes and tensions. A case study has been conducted and two manufacturing companies’ digitalization projects have been studied and analyzed in combination with data from workshops around digital transformation. The results were mapped into four types of paradoxes: organizing, performing, belonging, and learning. We conclude that the identified tensions are intertwined, and a major tension is the degree of standardization of technologies (standardization vs customization) and a more agile way of working (learning by doing vs learning before) doing is a trend within the digital transformation of production system. Our findings are relevant to operations managers and others interested in tensions during the digital transformation of production systems.

The purpose of this paper is to analyze and discuss how the MRL scale can support the assessment of a manufacturing technology’s maturity level. A single case study within the manufacturing industry has been conducted investigating the use of a MRL scale. An assessment of MRL 4 has been studied.

Sjukskrivning på grund av stress och utmattningssymtom ökar. En anledning till detta är höga prestationskrav i arbetet. Prestationskrav finns mer eller mindre, i olika former, på nästan allaarbetsplatser. Syftet med studien är att undersöka hur arbetstillfredsställelsen och känslan av meningsfullhet påverkar medarbetare som arbetar mot höga kvantitativa prestationskrav samt hur möjligheten till att använda egenkontroll och socialt stöd för att väga upp detta upplevs. Det är en kvalitativ studie med sju semistrukturerade intervjuer som datainsamlingsmetod. Tidigare forskning har studerats om utbrändhet, högpresterande arbetsmetoder, välbefinnande och prestationsförväntningar. De teoretiska utgångspunkterna är i huvudsak Karasek och Theorells krav-kontroll-stödmodell och Antonovskys teori om känslan av sammanhang. Studiens resultat visar att arbetstillfredsställelsen och känslan av sammanhang påverkas av prestationskraven, men även att möjligheterna till egenkontroll och socialt stöd varierar mellan intervjupersonernas arbetsplatser. I diskussionen framkom det att det är svårt att väga upp höga prestationskrav genom egenkontroll, däremot tycks det vara lättare att väga upp detta med socialt stöd. Det framkom också att höga krav utan tillräcklig kontroll och stöd frånchefer bidrog till upplevelsen av otillräcklighet och minskad motivation. Det sociala stödet och möjligheten till egenkontroll visade sig även vara viktiga faktorer för att ökaarbetstillfredsställelsen och känslan av meningsfullhet i arbetet.

Det dominerande inslaget i det här avhandlingsarbetet är det omfattande empiriska material, som utgör grunden för vår beskrivning och analys av städarbetet och städarnas arbetsförhållanden. I den beskrivning som vi gör strävar vi efter att redovisa en helhetsbild av arbetsmiljön. Den utgår från städarnas egna "vittnesmål" och den är utformad på ett sätt som enskilda städare ska kunna identifiera sig med. En central del i beskrivningen är de besvär som städarna upplever och som de uppfattar som arbetsrelaterade. I analysen försöker vi framför allt belysa de tänkbara sambanden mellan de arbetsmoment som ingår i städarbetet och de besvär som är "typiska" för städarna som grupp. Detta innebär en fokusering på de generella dragen inom städbranschen snarare än på do problem som hör samman med enskilda städare eller arbetsplatser. Vi försöker sätta in städarbetet, dess utveckling och historia, i ett mer allmänt sammanhang. Det innebär aft vi ser städarbetet som en konsekvens av arbetsdelning och specialisering. Arbetsdelningen innefattar bl a en åtskillnad av planering och utförande, av kvalificerat och okvalificerat arbete, av produktivt och reproduktivt arbete, av män och kvinnor. De metoder som vi använt för att samla in data om arbetsmiljön, dess beskaffenhet och dess inverkan på människan har utvecklats utifrån de mål som vi velat uppnå med undersökningen. I praktiken har detta inneburit att vi kombinerat flera olika metoder, såväl traditionella som förhållandevis okonventionella sådana. Såväl valet av forskningsområde, problem och metoder som beskrivningen och bedömningen av arbetsmiljön grundas ytterst på värderingar (som i det här fallet rör synen på människan och på samhället). Det är därför väsentligt att redovisa de kriterier/arbetsmiljökrav som vi, mer eller mindre outtalat, bedömt arbetsmiljön enligt och de mål som ligger till grund för våra förslag till förändringar. Våra utgångspunkter har varit att arbetsmiljön åtminstone ska motsvara de krav/kriterier som kan härledas ur den gällande lagstiftningen. P& samma sätt grundas våra förändringsförslag P& målet att tillgodose de nämnda kraven. Dessa karv kan uppfattas som förhållandevis defensiva. Förklaringen till vår måttfullhet är att vi uppfattar bristerna som så stora att även förändringar som endast leder till en "minimistandard", skulle uppfattas som stora förbättringar. Vi menar att skillnaderna mellan arbetsmiljömålen (sådana de uttrycks i lagen) och den verklighet som städarna arbetar i är mycket stora. Innebär detta att målen är orealistiska? Eller är det medlen för att uppnå målen som är otillräckliga? Går det överhuvudtaget att lagstifta bort den dåliga arbetsmiljön? Vi besvarar inte dessa frågor i den här avhandlingen. Däremot gör vi en redovisning av hur lagstiftningen kommit till, hur den är tänkt att fungera, vilka reaktioner som den mötte vid införandet och något om hur den utfallit. Utifrån våra erfarenheter bl a från den här undersökningen, menar vi att lagstiftningen aldrig kan vara ett tillräckligt villkor för uppkomsten av en "god arbetsmiljö". Att förändra arbetsvillkoren är i stället ytterst en fråga för arbetarna själva och deras intresseorganisationer. På samma sätt är det dessa som måste fastställa mål och medel i förändringsarbetet. Vår roll som forskare blir därmed att bidra till ökade kunskaper om arbetslivet och att göra dessa tillgängliga för dem som arbetar. Detta ställer stora krav på valet av relevanta forskningsområden. Vår beskrivning och analys av städarbetet utmynnar i en skissartad beskrivning av hur städarbetet skulle kunna förändras. Om detta förslag har en önskvärd effekt kan endast prövas genom praktiska försök. Vi hoppas att det material som vi redovisar ska stimulera till sådana försök eller till utarbetande av bättre idéer. Men detta är ju i och för sig en helt annan historia ...

This report, in which we have put an emphasis on the word communication, is based on a student software development project conducted during spring 2002. We describe how the use of design tools plays a key role in supporting communication in group activities and to what extent communication can be supported and enhanced by tools such as mock-ups and metaphors in a group project. We also describe a design progress from initial sketches to a final mock-up of a GUI for a postcard demo application.

ESBE AB is a company with a long history that develops and sells plumbing and heating related products. Their products possess a markedly high quality and reliability along with a strong focus on their design language. The purpose of this thesis is to update this design language and produce three concepts that describes how it could be done. The thesis was carried out as a concept study, using a product development process to structure the work. The theories, methods and how those methods were carried out are also described. A large part of the study was dedicated to preliminary work which studied the history of the company, its brand strategy as well as the products position on the market in order to create a comprehensive basis for the concept generation phase and the concept selection phase. The study produced three final concepts that were presented to responsible parties at the company. All three concepts were considered to have potential for future implementation. ESBE intends to, after evaluation, eventually have one or several concepts be realized by a consulting firm that would produce prototypes and prepare for production. 

Behovet av arbetskraft förväntas öka inom offentlig sektor och samtidigt som detta ökar upplevs tillgången till rätt arbetskraft minska. Genom att aktivt arbeta med employer branding sägs arbetsgivare kunna skapa attraktionskraft gentemot nya arbetstagare. Men frågan är om employer branding är en övergående trend bland dagens arbetsorganisationer, eller om yrkesverksamma inom området kommit att se det som en naturlig del i HR-arbetet. Med detta som utgångspunkt är studiens syfte att undersöka hur anställda inom en kommun i Västsverige tolkar och förhåller sig till begreppet employer branding. Studien har genomförts med en kvalitativ forskningsstrategi och data hämtades in genom en semistrukturerad intervjumetod.

Resultatet visar att en stor orsak till att respondenterna anser det viktigt att arbeta med employer branding hänger samman med kommunens förmåga att rekrytera kompetent arbetskraft. Genomgående finns en enhetlig bild av begreppet. Dock belyser respondenterna på central nivå vikten av att ha etablerade värdeord i organisationen medan de på lokal nivå riktar större fokus på de anställdas situation. På central nivå har de tagit fram en kompetensförsörjningsplan som samtliga verksamheter till viss del måste förhålla sig till när det gäller insatser kopplade till employer branding. Samtidigt har också varje enskild förvaltning stor frihet att själva välja hur de vill arbeta med dessa frågor. Att arbeta med employer branding både externt och internt är något som upplevs som viktigt. De externa insatserna kopplas till marknadsföring, främst i form av icke-produktrelaterad sådan. Medan de interna insatserna som framhävs är vikten att skapa goda arbetsförhållanden.

In this work a new methodology is proposed to model the static stiffness of a haptic device. This methodology can be used for other parallel, serial and hybrid manipulators. The stiffness model considers the stiffness of; actuation system; flexible links and passive joints. For the modeling of the passive joints a Hertzian contact model is introduced for both spherical and universal joints and a simply supported beam model for universal joints. For validation of the stiffness model a modified JP Merlet kinematic structure has been used as a test case. A parametric Ansys FEM model was developed for this test case and used to validate the resulting stiffness model. The findings in this paper can provide an additional index to use for multi-objective structural optimization to find an optimum compromise between a lightweight design and the stiffness performance for high precision motion within a larger workspace.

Psychological safety has been hypothesised as an important antecedent of the success of agile software development (ASD) teams. However, there is a lack of investigation on psychological safety in large-scale agile (LSA) software development teams. This study explored the antecedents and effects of psychological safety on LSA teams. We conducted semi-structured interviews with software professionals working on LSA project in a Scandinavian technology company. The results suggest that building a psychologically safe environment is a multi-dimensional factor that requires proactive leadership approach, open communication and constructive feedback. The focus should be on designing teams for learning, remuneration safety, and a well-prepared onboarding process for new team members. A psychologically safe environment contributes to effective teamwork, work satisfaction, and promotion of learning. Absence of such an environment leads to brain drain, highlighting the consequences of neglecting this essential aspect of organisational culture. Future research directions are proposed in this paper.

Increasing competition from traditional and emerging channels has placed new emphasis on rapid innovation and continuous differentiation in every aspect of supply chain, from earliest production stage to the final distribution steps. To bridge the gap between brilliant ideas and successful business initiatives, leading companies implement engineering simulation particularly in logistics and supply chain management (LSCM). Discrete event simulation (DES) and system dynamics (SD) are two modeling approaches widely used in this field. However there are not much done researches about the applications of these simulation approaches in supply chain context of Swedish Manufacturing Industries (SMI). This study explores the application of DES and SD in LSCM of SMI by looking at the nature and level of issues modeled. Journal papers and master theses that use these modeling approaches to study supply chains, published between 1990 and 2012 are reviewed. A total of 39 articles are analyzed to identify the frequency with which the two simulation approaches are used as modeling tools in LSCM of SMI. Our findings suggest that DES has been used more frequently to model supply chains in SMI. The results also show that not all the LSCM issues have been addressed evenly and generally tactical/operational issues have been modeled more frequently. The results of this study inform the existing literature about the use of DES and SD in LSCM of SMI.

Many decision problems have more than one objective that need to be dealt with simultaneously. Moreover, because of the qualitative nature of the most of real world problem it is an inevitable activity and very important to interpret and present the uncertain information for making effective decision. The Evidential Reasoning (ER) approach which is one of the latest development within multi criteria decision making (MCDM) seems to be the best fit to synthesize both qualitative and quantitative data under uncertainty. To support this claim, two case studies were tested to illustrate the application of ER for prioritization and ranking of decision alternative to support decision process even with uncertain information. The overall goal of the first case study is to identify and prioritize factors that can be considered maintenance-related waste within the automotive manufacturing industry. The result after applying ER shows “inadequate resources” and “weather /indoor climate,” respectively, are the highest and lowest average scores for creating maintenance-related waste. This prioritization methodology can be used as a tool to create awareness for managers seeking to reduce or eliminate maintenance-related waste. The aim of the second case study is to look at the possibility of having a new approach for sustainable design. So through a literature review six design strategies were taken into consideration in order to develop a new approach based on all advantages (sustainable factors) of the six approaches. For ranking and finding out about the most important factors the evidential reasoning (ER) approach is used. Based on ER all the important factors, apart from the one collected from interviews are a part of eco-design. So it means among all strategies eco-design is the most dominant strategy in term of environment. However two of the important factors are not found in any strategy but in interviews. These factors can be used as the building blocks for a new approach. The importance of having a better structured decision process is essential for the success of any organization, so it can be applied widely in most of real world problem dealing with making effective decision.

The goal of this research is to identify and classify factors creating maintenance-related waste. A workshop study has been performed in order to identify root-causes for maintenance-related waste. In total, 16 categories were found in the analysis and it is concluded that these are heavily reliant on human factors as a root- or major contributory cause. These, together with factors based on a literature review have been incorporated into a classification model. The model can be used in creating awareness in, as well as provide a basic framework for decision making of, which waste to target for elimination.

The reduction and elimination of maintenance-related waste is receiving increasing attention because of the negative effect of such waste on production costs. The overall goal of this research is to identify and prioritize factors that can be considered maintenance-related waste within the automotive manufacturing industry. Five manufacturing companies participated in a workshop to identify root causes of maintenance-related waste; 16 categories were found. The identified factors were heavily reliant on human factors as a root or major contributory cause at different levels affecting performance and productivity. For prioritization, the evidential reasoning (ER) approach which is one of the latest developments in multi-criteria decision-making is applied. A basic tree structure necessary for ER assessment is developed based on the workshop results as well as literature on human factors. Then, a survey on basic attributes at the lowest level of this tree is designed and performed at one of the companies participating in the workshop. The application of ER shows that, on an overall level, "management condition" is in first order and "maintainer condition" and "working condition" are in second and third order respectively as the worst cases for creating maintenance-related waste. On the most delimited level "inadequate resources" and "weather/indoor climate" have the highest and lowest average scores respectively in ER ranking or prioritization. This methodology with its resulting ranking can be used as a tool to create awareness for managers seeking to reduce or eliminate maintenance-related waste.

Those working in product development need to consider sustain ability, being careful not to compromise the future generations ability to satisfy its needs. Several strategies guide companies towards sustainability. This paper studies six of these strategies: eco-design, green design, cradle-to-cradle, design for environment, zero waste, and life cycle approaches. Based on a literature review and semi-structured interviews, it identifies 22 factors of sustainability from the perspective of manufacturers. The purpose is to determine which are the most important and to use them as a foundation for a new design strategy. A survey based on the 22 factors was given to people working with product development; they graded each factor by importance. The resulting qualitative data were analyzed using evidential reasoning. The analysis found the factors minimize use of toxic substances, increase competitiveness, economic benefits, reduce material usage, material selection, reduce emissions, and increase product functionality are more important and should serve as the foundation for a new approach to sustainable product development.

Production concurrence within manufacturing companies is continuously increasing due to production requirements and demand of mass produced customized goods. In order to meet customers’ requirements nowadays, companies need to increase customize production without suffering a loss of quality. In pursuance of an increased production on the main shop floor of the industrial partner involved in this project, the company investigates the idea of investing in an automated pressing machine to centralize the process outside different assembly lines. With the help of automation, simulation, and Lean, the potential of the company to reduce lead times to satisfy the customer needs can be increased.

The aim of this final year project is to investigate the potential of a stator pressing machine to manage the supply of product parts to four assembly lines. One of the requirements is that the yearly volume of the new system could be increased by 50%.

The methodology used in this study is based on Lean, simulation, and optimization. In order to have an overview of the problem, a situation analysis was made on the current production flow. Therefore, a data collection process was performed through observations, continuous communication with matter experts, and historical data. This data was used to analyze the system and feed the simulation model of the proposed new system. Different Lean tools were also used for the analysis and improvement of the system.

The company presented ideas on how they wanted the production flow to look like, which were then further developed and used as a basis for the improvement suggestions. One requirement was that the solution had to be Lean inspired.

The aim of the study was achieved by creating a simulation model to test how the system would behave in different configurations. A first scenario designed as a Pull flow system where the products were only produced according to demand. The second scenario was a Push based system without considering just-in-time production. The first scenario was presented as suggestion for final solution.

The result from the simulation scenarios showed a clear difference between the two systems. The Pull flow was more suitable due to a drastic decrease in both number of products as work- in-progress and lead time. The final solution, using a Kanban method, and a suggestion for the production layout of the future production flow is presented in the report.

Sansera Sweden AB produces connecting rods for diesel engines and other industrial applications. It is a part of the engine, turbine and power transmission equipment manufacturing industry. The company utilizes the IT system MaintMaster and was looking into digitize the methods used for information handling within their branch in Trollhättan. Moreover, they wanted to identify the measures that can prevent unexpected stops within their production line. The current study was conducted with the aim of further developing Sansera's maintenance system MaintMaster by digitizing instructions and checklists. The aim was to introduce digital work instructions that could be presented with smart technologies. This development would simplify the work of the operators and maintenance staff and expand the practice of the system to support preventive maintenance. To identify the cause of unexpected stops, the data were collected through interviews and observations. The interviews identified four cases that formed the basis for the results. Based on the data collection, it could be noticed that the preventive maintenance measures that were carried out did not include an efficient follow-up task.

Daily supervision controls were not documented anywhere, and weekly supervision was documented by paper. Deviations could therefore not be controlled or tracked in an appropriate way, which eliminated an advantageous follow-up measure. Within the current degree project, the company's supervisory controls were digitized and based on the digital checklists, an overview portal was developed for the responsible operator to check and track deviations that are identified. To further support the preventive maintenance, instructions were digitized by developing an interface that is easily accessible. This was done due to instructions were only available via paper lists in binders. To streamline the work of operators, a digital 5S inspection was developed where each shift is to be granted that the workplace is left in a way that facilitates the work of upcoming work shifts. Furthermore, the availability of the component sheet used for tool changes was also streamlined. Tool changes is a recurring process that the operators perform every shift, when performing tool changes there is a need for a document with article number for all spare parts that the operator needs. The observations showed a low availability of documents, which led to non-value-creating time in the form of time waste. The documents for the tool changes were digitized and linked to QR-codes, which meant that operators only needed to go to the spare parts collection cabinet and scan a QR-code to gain access to the item numbers. 

This report is made to create a process for urban furniture that is going to be placed in Jönköpingand other cities in Sweden. The process is created in collaboration with the company Re-invent yourfuture, which works with architecture and product design both in Sweden and other Europeancountries. The process will deliver a conceptual prototype with visualization effects, it will includesolutions for social interaction, interest and space for the citizens that live in urban spaces and big cities.

The study developed a model for production performance management of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Sweden. The developed model works for assessing, follow up and improvement in production performance. SMEs differ in size, structure, culture, competition, management practices, resource availability and lot more when compared with large organizations. SMEs also lack in effective performance management framework as most of the framework developed are designed for large organizations.

Production is core and critical value adding process especially for SMEs manufacturer for their survival and growth. SMEs are more motivated with doing rather than measuring it. Taking all these consideration a comprehensive model is developed which consists of four major steps. The model starts with studying of company’s strategy, and then there are steps for design of production performance measurement which works for identifying details strategically aligned performance measures. Benchmarking step is included to compare performance with best practices, finally measurements results are analysed and improvement actions are taken to continuously improve the production performance.

Developed model based on literature study, multiple case study (three case studies) are being conducted to check model applicability. The result of case studies supports the applicability and formulated problem is also well-answered by developed model.

The transition from linear economy to circular economy (CE) has gained mainstream status in recent times, not only at product and process levels, but also at component level. In order to adopt the CE as common practice, there is a need to reimagine the product end-of-life (EoL) phase to include assessment of individual component health status. Implementation of EoL strategies on products designed based on wear and tear, robustness, and safety concerns is, however, complex. The purpose of this study is to explore the potential of designing for CE by applying a visual health-based analysis (VHA) at the component level at the EoL stage. The application of this diagnostic tool is exemplified in a case at a large Swedish outdoor power product manufacturer by analyzing components for reuse, remanufacture, refurbishment, recycling, and recovery strategies. The VHA results in the calculation of a CE potential at the component-product level based on individual component's cost, complexity, health, and diagnostic approach. This study presents a diagnostic tool for practitioners to understand circularity at the component-level in the effort to identify EoL strategies. Furthermore, in supporting the CE principle of maximizing resource recovery, the study potentially contributes to the EU's CE action plan and the UN-SDGs 8, 9, 12, and 13.

The demand on a bearing ring grinder, as any other machine tool, is to produce parts as per the specification and desired quality. A failure to achieve the quality can be due to functional issues or mechanical failure modes. Ultimately this results in lower productivity and higher production costs. Despite the increased emphasis on practicing condition-based machine maintenance (CBM) in manufacturing applications, it is still considered a challenge to fully deploy CBM in production machines due to diversity in equipment and variety in machine configurations as well as complex characteristics of failure modes. Although there exists extensive literature on CBM for machine tools and subsystems, the issue remains with realization of a technically capable and cost effective CBM system, specifically for a bearing ring grinder. Therefore, sensor(s) selection, data acquisition setup, data processing and analysis are the essential factors considered in the proposed framework to ensure a systematic and organized CBM implementation. The CBM setup is evaluated against production of bearing rings under different process and failure conditions. A machine type independent data acquisition system is designed to capture both machine and process dynamics. The data gathered from sensors at strategic locations exhibits its effectiveness in capturing the process and condition variations in relation to time and operating modes. The presented results of data analysis support the capability and effectiveness of the proposed framework. The utility of this framework can be extended for any number of scenarios including predictive maintenance or adaptive process optimization where solutions using machine learning and artificial intelligence tools can benefit from high dimensional structured dataset. The proposed framework provides a strong foundation to fast track the adaption of CBM in other production machines having similar subsystems.

The telecom industry is characterized by a stressful work environment and high employee turnover. High employee turnover does not only contribute to high economic costs, but also to a low level of work ethic among employees. Therefore, we found it interesting to investigate how the employees of a telecom company experience leadership in the organization. Furthermore, the study aimed to investigate how the employees experience the demands, control and social support at their workplace and how they relate to the company's employee turnover. The study is of empirical nature and the methodological starting point was to make a qualitative study with an abductive approach. The data collection method used was semi structured interviews. The results show that the employees experience several different types of leadership, of which the democratic leadership style is the most appreciated. Including, supporting and showing empathy are three key qualities demanded by employees. Furthermore, the employees experience that the work is characterized by high demands, low control and low social support from managers and organizations.

Case study of Cr8tv, joint research betweeen European Commission, Lancaster University, Politecnico Milan,  Corvinus University, and Gothenburg Universit

Current digitalized manufacturing systems do not yet achieve the goal of smart manufacturing: precise con-trol and agility under unexpected disruptions. Push-Pull Digital Thread is a solution concept to enable contex-tual data and knowledge exchange across operational and functional units in a manufacturing enterprise. The extraction of decision reasoning and functional information can be facilitated by Large Language Models proc-essing information obtained from a decision maker at the point of decision. This concept shows a potential to address critical limitations in previous endeavours for smart manufacturing systems by building a semanti-cally searchable and sharable knowledge base in manufacturing systems and beyond.

Manual assembly systems are widely used for producing customized products in make to order production. Despite their competitive advantages, manual assembly systems bring several problems to the production organizations. Early identification of problems on the production floor is very important in order to keep production processes running smoothly and efficient. Hence, this research aims to increase the knowledge of understanding problems related to manual assembly systems in make to order production and develop solutions for the problems. To be able to reach the research aim, two research questions were formulated. While, the first question investigates the problems related to manual assembly systems in make to order production, the second question aims to develop possible solutions for the problems.

To be able to investigate the research problem in a real-life context, a single case study was performed at Volvo Powertrain F-Plant in Skövde, Sweden where there is a manual assembly of heavy duty diesel engine variants. In addition, existing literature was also investigated to make connections between the theory and the practice. As a result, the problems were revealed under six main categories as assembly processes, assembly operator learning, material handling, layout, ergonomics and information system. After revealing the problems, solutions were developed for each problem by using lean production principles and lean tools such as value stream mapping, standardized work. Moreover, other methods such as implementing kitting system, eliminating 7 waste in the production and implementing Takt time were also used to develop solutions. Based on the value stream mapping at the case company, improvements were developed and future state map was created for the case company. Evidently, the theoretical framework and the results from the empirical work were supported each other. At the end of the research, both research questions were answered and the aim of the research has been reached successfully.

The results of the research could be used as a guide for production organizations with similar production systems in order to identify and eliminate problems in manual assembly systems in make to order production. In addition, this study could be a basis to investigate the problems and their solutions in manual assembly systems in make to order production. The problems and solutions in manual assembly systems in make to order production could be extended by applying new theories and methods in the research area as a further research.

Recent developments in the area of Cyber-Physical Production Systems prove that high technology readiness level is already achieved and industrialization of such technologies is not far from today. Although these technologies seem to be convenient in providing solutions to environmental uncertainties, their application provides adaptability only at shop floor level. Needless to say, an enterprise cannot reach true adaptability without ensuring adaptation skills at every level in its hierarchy. Commonly used production planning and control approaches in industry today inherit from planning solutions which are developed in response to historical market characteristics. However, market tendency in recent years is towards making personalized products a norm. The emerging complexity out of this trend obliges planning systems to a transition from non-recurring, static planning into continuous re-planning and re-configuration of systems. Therefore, there is a need of responsive planning solutions which are integrated to highly adaptable production system characteristics.

In this dissertation, Demand Responsive Planning, DRP, is presented which is a planning framework aiming to respond to planning needs of shifting trends in both production system technologies and market conditions. The DRP is based on three main constructs such as dynamicity, responsiveness and use of precise data. These features set up the foundation of accomplishing a high degree of adaptability in planning activities. By this means, problems from an extensive scope can be handled with a responsive behavior (i.e. frequent re-planning) by the use of precise data. The use of precise data implies to execute planning activities subject to actual demand information and real-time shop floor data. Within the context of the DRP, both a continuous workload control method and a dynamic capacity adjustment approach are developed. A test-bed is coded in order to simulate proposed method based on a system emulation reflecting the characteristics of cyber-physical production systems at shop floor level.

Continuous Precise Workload Control, CPWLC, method is a novel approach aiming at precise control of workload levels with the use of direct load graphs. Supported by a multi-agent platform, it generates dynamic non-periodic release decisions exploiting real time shop floor information. As a result, improved shop floor performances are achieved through controlling workload levels precisely by the release of appropriate job types at the right time.

Presented dynamic capacity adjustment approach utilizes rapid re-configuration capability of cyber-physical systems in achieving more frequent capacity adjustments. Its implementation architecture is integrated to the CPWLC structure. By this means, a holistic approach is realized whereby improved due date performance is accomplished with minimized shop floor congestion. Hence, sensitivity to changing demand patterns and urgent job completions is improved.

Dynamic and unforeseeable characteristic of the current market and production environment is not feasible to be met through pre-set parameters being dependent on the predictions. Handling this matter requires to keep focus on production system adaptability. Evolvable Production System has achieved fully system reconfigurability through process oriented modularity and multi agent based distributed control system architecture. One of the essential enhancements provided by EPS on the shop floor is achieving minimized/eliminated system setup time in response to changing product requirements.

Manufacturing planning and control system, on the other hand, follows hierarchical principles which are quite much reliant on the predicted information so to structure production and planning environment on it. Production system limitations, such as lack of adaptability in response to changing conditions, are in fact influencing the planning system to be structured on the predictions. The enhancements which are ensured by the architecture of EPS enable to relax the constraints on planning system which are imposed by the limitations of production system. These enhancements have an effect at different levels in the planning hierarchy. On the light of these improvements, the planning framework as it is used so far in the industry becomes invalid and this arise a requirement for planning system structure to be designed according to a fully reconfigurable system to be able to benefit such a production system by all means.

This thesis targets to enlighten the relation between the production system characteristics and planning system structure by emphasizing the planning problems and proposing a planning reference architecture solution to be able achieve a responsive planning framework.

The variability in the market conditions is growing in terms of its frequency of change and range of diversity. In response to this new industrial panorama, research on production systems is aiming to achieve truly reconfigurable shop floors. Frequent changes in such systems require also frequent re-planning with updated information. In this regard the Continuous Precise Workload Control method, is a recent approach aiming at precise control of workload in the shop floor with the use of direct load graphs. Supported by a multi-agent platform, it generates dynamic non-periodic release decisions exploiting real time shop floor information. The study in this paper is two folded; (1) in order to highlight its distinctive characteristics, the presented workload approach is defined in terms of eight dimensions of the workload control concept and (2) the penalty of idleness which affects the decision of release is analyzed by an experiment design in order to investigate its correlation with two critical parameters, norm value and assessment range. The results show that the idleness penalty factor decreases the idleness of the resources up to a point where the adverse effect is initiated. Besides there are strong indications towards the correlation of idleness penalty factor with the norm value.

Purpose – Evolvable production systems enable fully reconfiguration capabilities on the shop floor through process-oriented modularity and multiagent-based distributed control. To be able to benefit architectural and operational characteristics of evolvable systems, there is a need of a newplanning approach which links shop floor characteristics and planning operations. This paper seeks to address these issues.

Design/methodology/approach – Evolvable production system has a structured methodology in itself. Consistent to this, a reference planningarchitecture is developed aiming to achieve agility on planning activities. Besides a workload control method is proposed and implemented as a part ofthe planning architecture.

Findings – First applications of evolvable systems have been implemented through European research projects. Shop floor working principles andarchitectural characteristics are consistent to facilitate more agility on planning activities which are framed at a planning reference architecture calleddemand responsive planning. As an implementation case, an agent-based workload control method is proposed and implemented. The characteristicsof EPS and proposed planning architecture enable continuous and dynamic workload control of the shop floor to be implemented.

Originality/value – This paper presents a new planning model compatible with evolvable production systems targeting to agility to demand onplanning and control activities benefiting shop floor enhancements of a fully reconfigurable system which enables to relax constraints imposed fromproduction systems to planning. In addition, a continuous and dynamic workload control method is proposed and implemented.

On the way to achieve mass customization production systems have to obtain the capability of rapid reconfiguration of not only physical components but also from control point of view. Evolvable Production System targets highly adaptable mechanical and control solutions that can enhance reusability and interoperability of modules, enabling lifetime extension of the modules. The focus of EPS paradigm is to achieve overall system adaptability by autonomous modules which are dedicated to specific processes with the capability of short deployment time at shop floor without reprogramming effort. From the operational point of view EPS brings significant enhancements considering shop floor dynamics and performances therefore positioning of EPS principles and approaches in production system typology from different perspectives is essential. This has been done by two means which are process flow structure and customer order decoupling point location.

Production planning and control strategies have been changing in line with the constant change on product and customer requirements, under the light of technological and scientific advancements. Production systems which are based on mass production became obsolete in time hence companies, being profit oriented, are in need of new solutions towards mass customization to handle rapidly changing market conditions. To deal with this issue, production systems and production planning strategies have to be complementing each other. In this paper Evolvable Production Systems and its compatibility to Just in Time (JIT) Production compared to Material Requirement Planning (MRP) will be discussed.

In today’s fierce competitive global markets, customers are demanding adjustable lot sizes, shorter lead times, higher quality and flexibility; in short, they want it all. In order to stay competitive in the market, companies need to attain both customer satisfaction and cost reduction in production operations. Material Handling Systems (MHS) is the place to accomplish this goal, since they have a direct impact on production. Therefore, the aim of this study was to design an in-house MHS that could be efficient for the production it serves.

With this intention, a case-study has been conducted in Bosch Rexroth Japan. During the study, the information gathered through various sources; interviews, observations and measurements. Further, the gathered data is evaluated according to main pillars of the theoretical framework, which includes design principles and physical elements, information and software, human and management.

By analyzing the findings from literature review and empirical study, first problems and challenges related to MHSs are identified. Thereafter, possible features that the system should posses are elicited and a design is built out of the selected features.

To conclude, the results show that the success is not solely depending on system’s physical attributes; on the contrary, it is more related to rapid and accurate information sharing within the system. Another vital element is the interaction between system and the people, who are utilizing and operating the system. In general terms, the research took MHS design problems from one-dimensional equipment selection processes and enriches them by adding information sharing, human and management angles to design steps.

In today’s fierce competitive global markets, customers are demanding adjustable lot sizes, shorter lead times, higher quality and flexibility; in short, they want it all. In order to stay competitive in the market, companies need to attain both customer satisfaction and cost reduction in production operations. Material Handling Systems (MHS) is the place to accomplish this goal, since they have a direct impact on production. Therefore, the aim of this study was to design an in-house MHS that could be efficient for the production it serves.

With this intention, a case-study has been conducted in Bosch Rexroth Japan. During the study, the information gathered through various sources; interviews, observations and measurements. Further, the gathered data is evaluated according to main pillars of the theoretical framework, which includes design principles and physical elements, information and software, human and management.

By analyzing the findings from literature review and empirical study, first problems and challenges related to MHSs are identified. Thereafter, possible features that the system should posses are elicited and a design is built out of the selected features.

To conclude, the results show that the success is not solely depending on system’s physical attributes; on the contrary, it is more related to rapid and accurate information sharing within the system. Another vital element is the interaction between system and the people, who are utilizing and operating the system. In general terms, the research took MHS design problems from one-dimensional equipment selection processes and enriches them by adding information sharing, human and management angles to design steps.