Atlas Copco Tools & Assembly Systems (ACTA) is world leader in industrial tools and assembly systems for safety-critical joints. One of the products the company sells is fixtured nutrunners, mainly to the motor vehicle industry. The margins on these highly customized products have been decreasing – much depending on changes in the purchasing behavior of the automotive industry. Traditionally, the marketing of the fixtured nutrunners has been concentrated to the parts of the product instead of the final product. Today, there is a belief within the organization that many of the sold customized products could be replaced by more standardized applications. There is also a wish to turn the focus of the market offer from the parts towards the final application. These beliefs and wishes resulted in this thesis, with the purpose to propose a new market offer to increase profitability and give more customer benefits. To reach this purpose we started out with theoretical studies of several different areas. Among those was mass customization, a strategy that combines the benefits of mass production with those of customization. We also performed a prestudy at the headquarters of ACTA in Sickla and visited major customers in Sweden. Using our collected knowledge from the theoretical studies and the prestudy, we conducted an in-depth case study by interviewing customers and people working at ACTA, both in Sweden and in the USA, in order to analyze today’s situation. In the analysis, we found several problems with today’s offer. For instance, we found that similar products are solved with unique solutions, which has lead to poor cost control and has made it difficult for ACTA to assure the quality of the ordered products. A further problem is the poor sales support and the lack of traceability of sold systems, which reduces sales and leads to unnecessary special solutions. A problem linked to that is the difficulties in getting accurate and sufficient information from the customer, which leads to extra errors and a lot of extra work. To solve these problems, we recommend ACTA to implement a mass customization strategy. Of course, not all of ACTA’s products can be mass customized, but to a large extent it should be possible. To implement a mass customization strategy, we argue that ACTA should take three measures, namely design standard products, modularize the products, and implement a computerized configuration tool. We also suggest that the implementation of the new market offer should be done stepwise. With the proposed new market offer, we believe that ACTA can increase profitability in the area of fixtured nutrunners without losing the flexibility of the products.

For many retailers, manufacturers, and wholesalers, inventory is their single largest investments of corporate assets. Problems such as stock-outs and bullwhip effect due to sales fluctuation and poor visibility are normal for manufactures. Unnecessary activities, in the purchasing process internally and externally, such as double order handling, cost both money and time. It is widely known that firms no longer can compete effectively in isolation of their suppliers and other entities. The future success of many businesses depends on co-operation and the co-ordination of efforts; making Supply Chain Management important. JIT and VMI are two of the philosophies that have been used to update supply chain relationships and management. By recognising your own supply weaknesses, the need for a supply strategy and a purchasing portfolio which classify suppliers emerges. There is an interest in examining what possible benefits and drawbacks, JIT and VMI collaboration can bring and how they differ from each other. In order to have a successful collaboration and implementation, it is important to know what basis to choose suppliers on and understand what needs to be in place, internally and externally, before starting either a JIT or VMI relationship with different suppliers. An inductive method was used in order to transform the literature review into a case study research. Explanatory and exploratory strategy was combined as well as qualitative and quantitative data collection such as oral interviews and written questionnaires. The case study was carried out at an accessory purchasing department at a large production company referred to as the “Focal company” in this thesis. Also, participating in the study were selected suppliers of the Focal company. The literature review and the case study data was analysed which led to the results that: • JIT and VMI can shorten lead time, improve quality and relationships if used properly, otherwise it can lead to increased inventory levels. • Key factors for enabeling JIT and VMI are common goals, management commitment, accurate information and suitable software systems. • Suitable suppliers for JIT and VMI are companies that have equal dependency and/or have interdependency and are willing and able to contribute to the competitive advantage of the buying firm. • Supplier selection criteria are price, quality, delivery, flexibility, reliability organizational culture, structure and strategy. • Implementation of JIT is not an option today at the Focal company. • With a few IT-system updates, a little bit of education and training the Focal company and most of the suppliers in this study are ready for VMI. • Because of the good balance of power and dependence in the relationships between the Focal company and their suppliers there is a good chance of a successful outcome. • The Focal company’s rating criteria are well correlating with the literatures findings, which further support that they are ready to select suppliers for integrated relationships.

<p>For many retailers, manufacturers, and wholesalers, inventory is their single largest investments of corporate assets. Problems such as stock-outs and bullwhip effect due to sales fluctuation and poor visibility are normal for manufactures. Unnecessary activities, in the purchasing process internally and externally, such as double order handling, cost both money and time.</p><p>It is widely known that firms no longer can compete effectively in isolation of their suppliers and other entities. The future success of many businesses depends on co-operation and the co-ordination of efforts; making Supply Chain Management important. JIT and VMI are two of the philosophies that have been used to update supply chain relationships and management. By recognising your own supply weaknesses, the need for a supply strategy and a purchasing portfolio which classify suppliers emerges.</p><p>There is an interest in examining what possible benefits and drawbacks, JIT and VMI collaboration can bring and how they differ from each other. In order to have a successful collaboration and implementation, it is important to know what basis to choose suppliers on and understand what needs to be in place, internally and externally, before starting either a JIT or VMI relationship with different suppliers.</p><p>An inductive method was used in order to transform the literature review into a case study research. Explanatory and exploratory strategy was combined as well as qualitative and quantitative data collection such as oral interviews and written questionnaires. The case study was carried out at an accessory purchasing department at a large production company referred to as the “Focal company” in this thesis. Also, participating in the study were selected suppliers of the Focal company.</p><p>The literature review and the case study data was analysed which led to the results that:</p><p>• JIT and VMI can shorten lead time, improve quality and relationships if used properly, otherwise it can lead to increased inventory levels.</p><p>• Key factors for enabeling JIT and VMI are common goals, management commitment, accurate information and suitable software systems.</p><p>• Suitable suppliers for JIT and VMI are companies that have equal dependency and/or have interdependency and are willing and able to contribute to the competitive advantage of the buying firm.</p><p>• Supplier selection criteria are price, quality, delivery, flexibility, reliability organizational culture, structure and strategy.</p><p>• Implementation of JIT is not an option today at the Focal company.</p><p>• With a few IT-system updates, a little bit of education and training the Focal company and most of the suppliers in this study are ready for VMI.</p><p>• Because of the good balance of power and dependence in the relationships between the Focal company and their suppliers there is a good chance of a successful outcome.</p><p>• The Focal company’s rating criteria are well correlating with the literatures findings, which further support that they are ready to select suppliers for integrated relationships.</p>

A new kind of commercial offer is on the rise, that of a commercial experience. It is said to be the next progression of value after a service and that it is distinct from a service in several ways, two important being a) the provider having to create something new or memorable to the customer, i.e. creating attractive quality, and b) the offer being a co-creation between the customer and the provider. Little has been written though about how creating a commercial experience can affect the way organizations should work. One of the areas that ought to be affected is the way organizations work to shape and coordinate co-workers and leaders behaviors by having a common set of values, or in other words a strong organizational culture.  A number of studies show that the leaders in an organization have a strong influence on its culture while others show that working with Total Quality Management (TQM) can enhance the corporate values and lead to profitable organizations. The purpose of this thesis was to explore and contribute knowledge about how to create a commercial experience. The more specific purpose was to explore this area in relation to leadership, values, organizational culture and TQM. To fulfill these purposes two case studies were carried out with the intention of finding ways of working. The first focused on how a renowned organization that offers commercial experiences works and the second on organizations offering commercial experiences in the region of Jämtland. One conclusion drawn from the research is that methodologies and tools that aim directly to enhance the organization´s values and hence its culture might be of even more importance in organizations offering a commercial experience. It seems to be important to be aware that values need to be translated into behaviors to make them understandable in the organization. Storytelling is one tool that can be used as an enhancer of organizational culture, a tool that might be a fairly unrecognized for this purpose. It is also evident that the leadership practiced within the organization is crucial if a strong organizational culture is to be achieved. Further, strategies for selecting the right values appear to be important when trying to create a strong organizational culture - a strategy not so evident within TQM. This could be one area where TQM needs to be developed in order to support the creation of a commercial experience but also to implement TQM more effectively. / En ny typ av kommersiella erbjudande är på uppgång, de kommersiella upplevelserna. De sägs vara nästa utveckling av ekonomiskt värde efter service och skiljer sig från service på ett antal sätt, varav de två viktigaste kan sägas vara a) behovet att skapa något som är nytt eller minnesvärt för kunden, dvs. skapa attraktiv kvalitet och b) att erbjudandet (upplevelsen) skapas tillsammans med kunden. Det finns idag inte så mycket skrivet om hur det interna arbetet i organisationer som erbjuder kommersiella upplevelser kan påverkas. Ett område som borde påverkas är det sätt organisationer arbetar med att forma och koordinera ledarnas och medarbetarnas beteenden genom gemensamma värderingar, dvs. att skapa en stark organisationskultur. Studier har visat att ledarna i en organisation har stort inflytande på kulturen och andra studier visar att arbete med Offensiv kvalitetsutveckling (TQM) kan stärka värderingarna och leda till lönsamma organisationer. Syftet med avhandlingen har varit att utforska samt bidra med kunskap om hur man kan skapa en kommersiell upplevelse. Det mer specifika syftet har varit att utforska området i relation till ledarskap, värderingar, organisationskultur och TQM. För att uppfylla dessa syften har två fallstudier genomförts med intentionen att hitta arbetssätt. Den första fokuserade på hur en framgångsrik organisation som erbjuder kommersiella upplevelser arbetar och den andra på hur organisationer i Jämtlands län som erbjuder kommersiella upplevelser arbetar. En slutsats som dras med utgångspunkt i genomförd forskning är att metoder och verktyg som är direkt riktade mot att stärka värderingar och därigenom organisationskulturen kan spela en ännu större roll i organisationer som erbjuder en kommersiell upplevelse. Det verkar vara viktigt att nå en förståelse att värderingar behöver överföras till beteenden för att göra dem förståeliga i organisationen. ”Storytelling” är ett verktyg som kan användas för att stärka organisationskulturen, ett verktyg som verkar vara tämligen outnyttjat för detta syfte. Det är också tydligt att ledarskapet som utövas i organisationen är avgörande för att lyckas med att erhålla en stark organisationskultur. Strategier för att välja de rätta värderingarna verkar vara en viktig del när man försöker skapa en stark organisationskultur. En strategi som inte är så uppenbar inom TQM. Det skulle kunna vara ett område där TQM behöver utvecklas för att stötta skapandet av kommersiella upplevelser men även för att mer effektivt implementera TQM generellt.

<p><p>To be a market leader, low cost and responsiveness are the key success factors. Logistics activities create high cost reducing competitiveness of the company, especially for the remote production base. Thus, logistics activities which are delivery planning, freight forwarder and delivery mode selection must be optimized. The focusing area of this paper is inbound logistics due to its big proportion in the total cost and involvement with several stakeholders. The optimization theory and Microsoft Excel’s Solver is used to create the standard optimization tools since it is an efficient and user friendly program. The models are developed based on the supply chain management theory in order to achieve the lowest cost, responsiveness and shared objectives. 2 delivery planning optimization models, container loading for fixed slitting and loading pattern and container loading for pallet loaded material, are formulated. Also, delivery mode selection is constructed by using optimization concept to determine the best alternative. Furthermore, freight forwarder selection process is created by extending the use of the delivery mode selection model. The results express that safety stock, loading pattern, transport mode, and minimum order quantity (MOQ) significantly affect the total logistics cost. Including hidden costs, long transit time and delay penalties, leads freight forwarder selection process to become more realistic and reliable. Shorter processing time, ensured optimal solution, transparency increase and better communication are gained by using these optimization models. However, the proper boundaries must be defined carefully to gain the feasible solution.</p></p>

<p>A new kind of commercial offer is on the rise, that of a commercial experience. It is said to be the next progression of value after a service and that it is distinct from a service in several ways, two important being a) the provider having to create something new or memorable to the customer, i.e. creating attractive quality, and b) the offer being a co-creation between the customer and the provider.</p><p>Little has been written though about how creating a commercial experience can affect the way organizations should work. One of the areas that ought to be affected is the way organizations work to shape and coordinate co-workers and leaders behaviors by having a common set of values, or in other words a strong organizational culture.  A number of studies show that the leaders in an organization have a strong influence on its culture while others show that working with Total Quality Management (TQM) can enhance the corporate values and lead to profitable organizations.</p><p>The purpose of this thesis was to explore and contribute knowledge about how to create a commercial experience. The more specific purpose was to explore this area in relation to leadership, values, organizational culture and TQM.</p><p>To fulfill these purposes two case studies were carried out with the intention of finding ways of working. The first focused on how a renowned organization that offers commercial experiences works and the second on organizations offering commercial experiences in the region of Jämtland.</p><p>One conclusion drawn from the research is that methodologies and tools that aim directly to enhance the organization´s values and hence its culture might be of even more importance in organizations offering a commercial experience. It seems to be important to be aware that values need to be translated into behaviors to make them understandable in the organization. Storytelling is one tool that can be used as an enhancer of organizational culture, a tool that might be a fairly unrecognized for this purpose. It is also evident that the leadership practiced within the organization is crucial if a strong organizational culture is to be achieved.</p><p>Further, strategies for selecting the right values appear to be important when trying to create a strong organizational culture - a strategy not so evident within TQM. This could be one area where TQM needs to be developed in order to support the creation of a commercial experience but also to implement TQM more effectively.</p> / <p>En ny typ av kommersiella erbjudande är på uppgång, de kommersiella upplevelserna. De sägs vara nästa utveckling av ekonomiskt värde efter service och skiljer sig från service på ett antal sätt, varav de två viktigaste kan sägas vara a) behovet att skapa något som är nytt eller minnesvärt för kunden, dvs. skapa attraktiv kvalitet och b) att erbjudandet (upplevelsen) skapas tillsammans med kunden.</p><p>Det finns idag inte så mycket skrivet om hur det interna arbetet i organisationer som erbjuder kommersiella upplevelser kan påverkas. Ett område som borde påverkas är det sätt organisationer arbetar med att forma och koordinera ledarnas och medarbetarnas beteenden genom gemensamma värderingar, dvs. att skapa en stark organisationskultur. Studier har visat att ledarna i en organisation har stort inflytande på kulturen och andra studier visar att arbete med Offensiv kvalitetsutveckling (TQM) kan stärka värderingarna och leda till lönsamma organisationer.</p><p>Syftet med avhandlingen har varit att utforska samt bidra med kunskap om hur man kan skapa en kommersiell upplevelse. Det mer specifika syftet har varit att utforska området i relation till ledarskap, värderingar, organisationskultur och TQM.</p><p>För att uppfylla dessa syften har två fallstudier genomförts med intentionen att hitta arbetssätt. Den första fokuserade på hur en framgångsrik organisation som erbjuder kommersiella upplevelser arbetar och den andra på hur organisationer i Jämtlands län som erbjuder kommersiella upplevelser arbetar.</p><p>En slutsats som dras med utgångspunkt i genomförd forskning är att metoder och verktyg som är direkt riktade mot att stärka värderingar och därigenom organisationskulturen kan spela en ännu större roll i organisationer som erbjuder en kommersiell upplevelse. Det verkar vara viktigt att nå en förståelse att värderingar behöver överföras till beteenden för att göra dem förståeliga i organisationen. ”Storytelling” är ett verktyg som kan användas för att stärka organisationskulturen, ett verktyg som verkar vara tämligen outnyttjat för detta syfte. Det är också tydligt att ledarskapet som utövas i organisationen är avgörande för att lyckas med att erhålla en stark organisationskultur.</p><p>Strategier för att välja de rätta värderingarna verkar vara en viktig del när man försöker skapa en stark organisationskultur. En strategi som inte är så uppenbar inom TQM. Det skulle kunna vara ett område där TQM behöver utvecklas för att stötta skapandet av kommersiella upplevelser men även för att mer effektivt implementera TQM generellt.</p>

<p>There is a type of business offering gaining much attention, both in the media and in financial figures, which provides the customer with something extra, something to be remembered. This offering is a commercial experience. It is claimed that commercial experiences are different from traditional industry and mass-production and even separated from goods and services. The possibility of creating something extraordinary in order to gain profit is of increasing interest in today’s business world. Consumers are seeking for experiences to reach a higher level of personal growth, an experience that create personal identity and lead to long-lasting memories. This is something an increasing amount of consumers are willing to pay money for - the commercial experience market.</p><p>The purpose of this thesis is to contribute knowledge about and a deeper understanding of commercial experiences, both in general and especially with regard to how customer value is created. The focus of the research was also to strengthen and support organizations that offer commercial experiences. In order to fulfill the purpose, two case studies were conducted with different focal points. The first aimed to find best practice and explore excellent ways of working when providing commercial experiences. The second study aimed to identify the needs for improvement to strengthen organizations offering commercial experiences.</p><p>According to my findings, there seems to be several distinctions between commercial experiences and goods and services. These include; the level of price, the time spent by the customer, the customer affect as strongly emotional and maybe most importantly, the finding that commercial experiences create a higher level of customer value than goods and services. All this proves that the commercial experience is to be considered an offering on its own, a refined customer offer of higher value. Since commercial experiences are said to engage customers in an inherently memorable way, reaching a higher level of customer value than goods and services, is seen as a critical factor. Understanding what the customer really wants, needs and what builds customer value when offering commercial experiences then become particularly important as drivers of success. When studying a particular organization for best practice, several similarities between providing commercial experiences and working according to the core values of TQM were found and established as a factor of business excellence. Further when it comes to providing commercial experiences storytelling, theming and a creative environment stood out as additional factors of business excellence. Moreover, selecting the right co-workers based on their values rather than merely their skills and academic qualifications was seen as an important factor of success. The co-worker is often the co-creator of the experience together with the customer and therefore has an important part to play in the organization. Creating a corporate culture with co-workers sharing the values is seen as essential in order to run a successful business. It appears that any type of organization can provide an experience for the customer, the key is adding on the extra value to reach the level of attractive quality. The commercial experience is described as deeply affecting both the feelings and senses of the customer, resulting in new memories; it is a memorable event the customer is willing to pay for. The commercial experience contains elements of engagement, personal relevance, novelty, surprise and learning and is not limited to certain types of businesses. The fact that this is an area of increasing business interest but as yet a poorly explored one indicates that there is a need to develop improved ways of working, tools and methods, tailor-made for providing commercial experiences. Improved tools for identifying customer expectations and measuring customer satisfaction are clearly needed, especially since this is a growing industry that cannot be ignored. Welcome to further explore the experience economy where new memories are so highly valued that people are prepared to pay for them!</p> / <p>Det är en ny industri på växande frammarsch som får allt större uppmärksamhet i massmedia både utifrån erbjudandet och genom allt mer betydande ekonomiska resultat. En industri som erbjuder kunden något extra, någonting att minnas, en kommersiell upplevelse. Det finns de som hävdar att den kommersiella upplevelsen skiljer sig från traditionell industri med massproduktion och att den till och med är skild från varor och tjänster. Att kunna erbjuda sina kunder någonting extraordinärt för att nå en ökad vinstmarginal är av allt större intresse bland företag idag. Allt fler kunder letar efter en upplevelse som tar dig till en högre nivå av personlig utveckling, en upplevelse som skapar en personlig identitet och leder till minnen för livet. Detta fenomen är något som allt fler människor är villiga att betala pengar för, en kommersiell upplevelsemarknad.</p><p>Det övergripande syftet med licentiatuppsatsen är att bidra med kunskap och skapa en djupare förståelse för kommersiella upplevelser, både på ett generellt plan men även med avseende på hur kundvärde skapas. Ett ytterligare fokus för forskningen är att stärka de organisationer som erbjuder sina kunder en upplevelse. För att uppnå syftet har två fallstudier med olika fokus genomförts. Den första fallstudien innebar att leta efter ett föredöme och belysa goda exempel på arbetssätt som kan användas för att skapa en kommersiell upplevelse. Den andra studien syftade till att identifiera behov för att utveckla och stärka de organisationer som erbjuder sina kunder en kommersiell upplevelse.</p><p>Utifrån mina observationer i fallstudie 1 så verkar det finnas flera saker som skiljer en kommersiell upplevelse från varor och tjänster, som t.ex. prisnivå, kundens spenderade tid, kundens emotionella beröring och kanske mest betydande att den kommersiella upplevelsen når en högre nivå av skapat kundvärde än vad varor och tjänster gör. Allt detta bidrar till att klassificera kommersiella upplevelser som ett eget fenomen, ett erbjudande med ett förädlat kundvärde. Eftersom kommersiella upplevelser påstås beröra kunder på ett minnesvärt sätt, uppnås också en högre nivå av skapat kundvärde än för varor och tjänster. Detta är en kritisk faktor för den kommersiella upplevelsen. Att förstå kundens behov, och vad det är som skapar kundvärde, blir därmed av extra vikt för att lyckas för de organisationer som erbjuder en kommersiell upplevelse.</p><p>Vid studien av en framgångsrik organisation hittades flera likheter i de arbetssätt som användes för att på ett framgångsrikt sätt skapa en upplevelse med de värderingar som beskrivs inom TQM. Ytterligare arbetssätt som utpekas som framgångsfaktorer är storytelling, tematisering och att skapa kreativa arbetsmiljöer. Utöver arbetssätten belystes också vikten av att bygga en organisationskultur baserad på värderingar som fokuserar på att skapa kundvärde. Att rekrytera sin personal baserat i huvudsak på värderingar i stället för enbart på kompetens anses vara ytterligare en framgångsfaktor, detta eftersom medarbetaren ofta skapar upplevelsen i ett möte tillsammans med kunden. Att skapa en organisationskultur som bygger på gemensamma värderingar är viktigt för att nå framgång inom upplevelseindustrin. Det är inte begränsat till en specifik typ av organisation att erbjuda kommersiella upplevelser, det är i stället vikten av att lägga till det extra kundvärdet för att uppnå attraktiv kvalitet som är essentiellt för framgång.</p><p>Den kommersiella upplevelsen beskrivs som något djupt berör kundens känslor och dess sinnen med ett resultat i nya värdefulla minnesbilder. Det är ett minnesvärt ögonblick som kunden är beredd att betala för. De ingredienser som används för att beskriva en kommersiell upplevelse är engagemang, personlig betydelse, nyhetsvärde, överraskning och lärande. Egenskaperna är inte begränsade till att enbart gälla för en viss typ av organisation eller bransch. Det faktum att intresset för att erbjuda kommersiella upplevelser är växande, och att området är relativt outforskat indikerar att det finns flera behov av utveckling, framförallt i att hitta bra arbetssätt och metoder för att identifiera kundens förväntningar och mäta kundnöjdhet. Varmt välkommen att här vidareutforska upplevelseindustrin, där nya minnen värderas så högt att människor är beredda att betala för dem.</p>

<p>Sapa Heat Transfer AB (SHT AB) är en av tre delar inom koncernen Sapa Group, som ägs av det norska företaget Orkla ASA. SHT AB har produktion både i Sverige (Finspång) och i Kina (Shanghai). Företaget är en världsledande leverantör och utvecklare av aluminiumband som används i olika typer av värmeväxlare, främst inom bilindustrin.</p><p>I flera steg av produktionen, som innefattar omsmältning, varm- och kallvalsning samt skärning, uppkommer ett skrotfall av aluminium. Detta skrot tas omhand och återanvänds som råvara i företagets omsmältverk. SHT AB har idag inget automatiserat IT-stöd för att prognostisera skrotavfallet, dessa beräkningar görs istället med hjälp av Excel. Då skrotfallet beräknas används ett schablonvärde för processens utbyte, som motsvarar genomsnittet för samtliga legeringskombinationer i produktion. Eftersom ett medelvärde används blir prognosen missvisande för vissa legeringar. Detta då utbytet varierar mycket, vilket gör att det både finns de legeringskombinationer som har betydligt högre utbyte än genomsnittet och de som har betydligt lägre. SHT AB har idag inte heller någon koppling mellan faktisk orderstock och kortsiktig prognostisering av skrotfall.</p><p>Syftet med detta examensarbete är att ta fram förslag på hur Sapa Heat Transfer AB kan och bör utveckla sin prognostisering av skrotfall. Därigenom ska Sapa Heat Transfer AB få bättre precision i både långsiktig och kortsiktig skrotfallsprognos, och på så vis förbättra råvaruplaneringen.</p><p>För att förbättra den långsiktiga skrotfallsprognosen måste nedbrytningen av prognosen för legeringskombinationer analyseras. En förbättring av nedbrytningen förväntas innebära en förbättrad långsiktig prognos. Förbättrad innebär i detta fall att skrotfallsprognosen bättre ska följa den långsiktiga prognosen för försäljning av legeringskombinationer. Precisionen hos skrotfallsprognosen blir givetvis beroende av precisionen hos denna prognos. En förändring av nedbrytningen medför dock att kapacitetsplaneringen för omsmältverkets ugnar påverkas.</p><p>Åtgärdsförslaget som tas fram för den långsiktiga prognostiseringen är tänkt att förbättra denna genom att schablonvärdet som används ersätts med varje legeringskombinations specifika prognostiserade utbyte. Data som behövs för att genomföra en sådan prognos finns tillgänglig i SHT AB:s databaser, och med hjälp av prognostiseringsmetoden exponentiell utjämning kan utbytet prognostiseras. Genom att använda denna metod med ett lågt värde på utjämningskonstanten α, fås en prognos där extremvärden inte ger kraftiga utslag på prognosen.</p><p>Den kortsiktiga skrotfallsprognosen, som idag bygger på en nedbrytning av den långsiktiga prognosen, kan förbättras genom att istället kopplas till den faktiska orderstocken. Om denna koppling görs baseras skrotfallsprognosen mer på känd information istället för på en annan prognos. En koppling till orderstocken kan dock bara användas för kortsiktig skrotfallsprognostisering då orderstocken inte sträcker sig flera månader framåt.</p><p>Åtgärdsförslaget som tas fram för den kortsiktiga skrotfallsprognosen utgår från att en schablonmässig prognos först tas fram för de skrotgrupper som ska prognostiseras. I denna används en individuell prognostiserad skrotfallsfaktor som tas fram med exponentiell utjämning för respektive skrotgrupp. Skrotfallsfaktorn är baserad på historisk data för planerat material in till processen och invägt skrot till smältverket. Med hjälp av skrotfallsfaktorn, data för hur mycket material som är planerade in i processen kommande veckor och med hänsyn till att skrot faller under hela ledtiden, kan ett förväntat skrotfall för kommande vecka/veckor beräknas.</p><p>För att få en bättre precision än hos den schablonmässiga prognosen, kan sedan prognosen för de skrotgrupper som är mest intressanta utvecklas och anpassas. De kan ges individuella värden på utjämningskonstanten α för prognostiseringen av skrotfallsfaktor och även sättet som hänsyn till ledtid tas kan anpassas. I förslaget har förenklingen gjorts att skrot väntas falla symmetriskt över ledtiden vilket inte stämmer helt med verkligheten. Därför bör prognosen också utvecklas så att hänsyn tas till att det exempelvis faller förhållandevis mycket skrot i slutet av ledtiden.</p> / <p>Sapa Heat Transfer AB (SHT AB) is one of three components in the corporate group Sapa Group, owned by the Norwegian company Orkla ASA. Sapa Heat Transfer AB has production in Sweden (Finspång) and China (Shanghai). The company is a world leading supplier and developer of aluminum strips used in various types of heat exchangers, primarily in the automotive industry.</p><p>In several stages of the production, which includes remelting, hot and cold milling and cutting, a part of the processed material becomes scrap metal. This scrap metal is collected and reused as raw material in the remelting factory. SHT AB currently has no automated IT support to forecasting this scrap metal; these calculations are, in the current situation, made with the help of Excel. In the calculation of scrap metal the company uses a standard value, corresponding to the average yield for all alloy combinations in the production. As a mean value is being used for all alloy combinations, the forecast becomes misleading for some alloys. The yield varies widely depending on the alloy, which means there are alloy combinations that are above the average yield and some that are below. In the current situation SHT AB has no link between actual orders and the short-term forecast of scrap metal.</p><p>The purpose of this thesis is to develop proposals on how Sapa Heat Transfer AB can and should develop its forecasting of scrap metal. This will help them getting a better accuracy in their forecasting and thereby improving the raw material planning.</p><p>In order to improve the long-term forecast of scrap metal the decomposition of the forecast for the alloy combination had to be analyzed. An improvement of the decomposition will mean an improvement of the precision for the long-term prognosis of scrap metal. A change in the decomposition will also influence the capacity planning in the remelting factory.</p><p>The action proposal for the long-term forecasting will result in a better accuracy of the forecast by replacing the mean value for the yield by a specific forecasted yield of each alloy combination. The data needed to carry through such a forecast is available in SHT AB´s databases, and by using the forecasting method exponential smoothing the yield can be forecasted. By using this method a forecast will be obtained that, with a low value of α, will not take such great impact from extreme values that sometimes occur.</p><p>The current short-term scrap metal forecast, based on a decomposition of the alloy combination forecast, can be improved by a link to the actual backlog. If this link is established the scrap metal forecast will be based on known information instead of forecasted data. A link to the backlog can only be used for a short-term forecast due to the length of the awaiting orders.</p><p>The action proposal to improve the short-term forecast assumes that a standardized forecast is developed for the scrap groups to be projected. The forecast should use an individually forecasted scrap factor produced with exponential smoothing for each scrap group. The scrap factor is based on historical data for the material planned to go into the process and the weighed scrap delivered to the remelting factory. With this scrap factor, data on how much material that is planned into the process the coming weeks and with consideration of scrap falling throughout the lead time the expected amount of scrap for the coming week / weeks can be calculated.</p><p>To get a better precision compared to the standardized forecasts, the forecasts of the most interesting scrap groups should be developed and adapted. They can be given individual values of the smoothing constant α for the prediction of the scrap factor and the way the lead time is being considered can be adjusted. In the proposal the simplification that scrap is expected to fall symmetrically distributed over the lead time has been done. In reality this is not the case. Therefore, the forecast should also be developed to take into account that, for example, more scrap is falling in the end of the lead time.</p>

<p>The objective with this thesis is to clarify the advantages - both economic and environmental - that companies in the Thai electronic manufacturing industry can draw from managing their supply chain and adding a green aspect to it. This through investigations of the concept known as Green Supply Chain Management (GSCM). The research will assist companies with scarce knowledge of green supply chain management in making decisions and priorities in that area.</p><p>Semi-structured interviews were performed on sight in Bangkok, Thailand and surrounding region. These provided insight and knowledge of the situation and today-state regarding environmental awareness and GSCM implementation within the Thai Electrical and Electronics Industries. Interviews were performed with representatives and experts from different sectors – from universities, industry and supporting agencies and serve as the foundation for the research.</p><p>A model has been developed out of previous research and findings that could suit the Thai industry. This model can be seen as guidelines in the work towards becoming green and aims at continuous improvement of the organizations environmental performance.</p><p>In Thailand today companies do not see the benefits of themselves review their organizations environmental impact or developing in this area. Environmental awareness among the public is low and the lack of demand for green products result in few drivers for companies to become green. Also the lack of proper legislation and compliance audits are part of the problem. Missing environmental education and knowledge are extensive and improvements needed. The concept of GSCM is not wide spread but popularity is increasing steadily. Some environmental initiatives are though performed in the industry but not under the name of the concept. Customer demands, legislation and education should be the main focus areas for developing the industry.</p><p>From the today state at a very basic low much is to be done. Fear of large investments, cost and the lack of knowledge are obstacles to the development. This research shows that these concerns are to be avoided. And by following the model in this thesis companies can find proper knowledge in the area of GSCM. Concluded is that with understanding of the concept and proper implementation from the right knowledge Thai companies can gain great advantages in the future - both economical and environmental.</p>

<p>When implementing an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system, the system has to be adapted to the organisation. But just as important, the business processes of the organisation have to be reengineered in order to take full advantage of the ERP system. Noblessa Sverige AB, which is a sales company to the German kitchen producer Nobilia, has been growing remarkably since the start 2001 and has begun discussing an ERP system purchase. The order process of today has reached the limit of its capacity and something has to be done in order to meet the increasing sales volume.</p><p>The purpose of this master’s thesis is to analyse and reengineer the order process as a preparation for an ERP system implementation. The outcome of this thesis is a suggestion of a process model of the order process, which also can be used as a foundation for a requirements specification for the ERP system purchase. In order to take advantage of the benefits of the existing order process, the reengineering starts with mapping the current process.</p><p>Noblessa Sverige AB is a company that is growing and changing from one day to another. Changes have arisen during the writing of this thesis which has made the work even more interesting and challenging. The most important change is the opening of a central warehouse in Norrköping, which has been taken in consideration when we designed the new process model.</p><p>After mapping and achieving an understanding of the current order process, we found a few things that could be improved. Above all, there exist many manual tasks that can be automated with the ERP system. Furthermore, there are tasks that should be moved from one department or function to another because it is more suitable to perform them there. We also found that Noblessa Sverige AB should improve the integration and cooperation with its suppliers, especially Nobilia. Nobilia is the main owner and main supplier of Noblessa Sverige AB, the conditions for cooperation are therefore very good.</p>