The emergence of new digital technologies and their potential strategic contribution is currently one of the most prominent concerns for organizations. Despite the opportunity brought on by modern digital technology, an estimated 66-84% of digital transformation projects end up failing. Therefore, a research question was formulated as; How to formulate a strategy for digital transformation that supports manufacturing business value? An abductive research approach was utilized to reach two main research objectives; Creating a description of how the current and future digital landscape is understood and creating a description of how digital transformation can be constructed and what strategies and/or strategical elements exist within that construct. Furthermore, one manufacturing case company within the automotive industry and specifically its formal initiative and efforts to conduct a digital transformation were examined. By creating this comprehensive context, it was believed that existing knowledge could be solidified, and new knowledge could be created to answer the research question. Scattered and diverse findings regarding a multitude of elements are presented in the frame of reference, in order to build a strong basis for analysis. Distinguished levels of conceptual strategies within the construct of digital transformation are recognized as “Digital Business Strategy” and “Digital Transformation Strategy”. An empirical study is presented that examines present elements such as a conceptual roadmap, task teams, and an overall description of a formal initiative towards digital transformation, as well as how these elements are interpreted and understood by leaders within the organization. The analysis consists of a comparison between the presented literature and the empirical findings. This is viewed through the lens of the research objectives in order to show commonalities and differences between the literature and the case company, and to corroborate findings. Most prominent is the absence of a digital business strategy at the case company in contrast to the expressed necessity for one in the literature. In a presented discussion, strategy as a linkage between business value and digital transformation is argued to be direct through a digital business strategy. The answer to the stated research question is that digital transformation and strategy formulation can not be understood as a linear, but rather an iterative and evolving process involving building an absorptive capacity, assessing maturity, formulating a digital business strategy, and creating a roadmap and a digital transformation strategy that support the digital business strategy and the maturity level. Conclusively, the findings of this report are corroborated by each other but lack empirical evidence as to the meaning of being successful and valuable manufacturing business in the setting of the fourth industrial revolution is yet unknown. However, practitioners are encouraged to employ a conscious business model perspective, while researchers are discouraged of thinking about digital transformation as a linear and sequential process.

Consumers have changed their behaviour from passive roles to active ones, demanding their beloved brands to be integrated into long-lasting customer-brand relationships. With this ideology, which is the basis for the S-D logic, there is an on-going scientific debate on the value co-creation phenomenon and its effects on sustaining long-term brand-customer relationships in the context of the fashion industry. These effects are considered to have the potential to sustain a competitive advantage and affect not only the marketing of the fashion brands, but also other facets of such enterprises, including their value and supply chains. Additionally, the world has been experiencing a steep increase in technological innovation under the name of Industry 4.0, where machinery and human labour become integrated into smart systems and consumers have the ability to influence parts of brands which were not available before. Within this context, the interest of this research is to explore the value co-creation phenomenon in relation to the I4.0 dimension in the setting of two generic business models characteristic of the fashion industry (luxury vs. fast-fashion). In exploring the interconnectivity of these two phenomena, this study takes on the digital strategies of Burberry, Louis Vuitton, UNIQLO and Zalando, and assesses their co-creative processes targeted towards their consumers. In doing so, this study is also aiming at identifying the approaches of the chosen brands towards the I4.0 dimension and its relevance towards the process of value co-creation. In order to illuminate the co-creative processes within the digital strategies of the selected brands and to accomplish the research goal, this study takes on a comparative cross-case study methodology synthesising secondary data on both value co-creation and I4.0 as separate phenomena. The secondary data on the digital strategies of the selected brands is used within an existing model called “the Co-creation mix” which assesses the co-creative processes of the brands based on six different criteria: co-creator, purpose, locus, intimacy, time, and incentives. Interpreting the secondary data through such a model resulted in the identification of two different approaches to co-creation and I4.0. The findings indicate that the luxury case companies approach co-creation from a traditional marketing perspective where digital consumer engagement is the main co-creative process, whereas the fast-fashion case companies initiate co-creative processes designed to accomplish goals that are more supply-chain related. This result also brings several intriguing implications. First, the fast-fashion case companies are more technology-driven and are more open towards the implementation of innovative I4.0 technologies within the co-creative processes than the luxury case companies. Second, the consumer role in the co-creation process seems to become less central the more the I4.0 dimension is involved. Third, the model shows that the fast-fashion examples outperform the luxury examples at the dimensions where the latter perform the weakest, such as intimacy and time. And fourth, the study findings confirm the new research opinion that both industry segments have weak areas which can be handled by taking on a mix of the two identified approaches, rather than focus on the traditional one alone. Yet, these findings are not generalizable but only illustrative, meaning that the study provides plausible hypothesis and future research directions concerning value co-creation and I4.0 within the fashion industry context.

Flexible forms of employment Abstract The purpose of this thesis is to map the flexible forms of employment currently offered by the Czech legislation as well as those that might possibly become part of the legal system in the Czech Republic. Flexible forms of employment are currently on the rise, and it is therefore relevant to address the possibilities offered by the legislation. Part one focuses on defining the basic terms of the legal and theoretical framework of flexible forms of employment and in this context also the importance of flexicurity as a concept that has shaped the forms of flexible employment in the recent years. Second part of the thesis describes the specific forms of employment in terms of their legal regulation and what challenges are associated with the use of each individual form of flexible employment, furthermore this part explores aspects of flexibility that can be found within these types flexible employment. Examples of such flexible forms of employment mentioned include, but are not limited to, fixed-term employment, homeworking and, in terms of working hours, a condensed working week and flexible working hours. The next part discusses new emerging forms of flexible employment, namely job sharing, employee sharing, interim management, casual work, as well as new forms of...

Global megatrends and the resulting challenges for manufacturing companies, have brought up the concept of Industry 4.0 (I4.0) and its heart the Smart Factory (SF). Through I4.0 and the application of SF companies can increase their creation of value, however the degree of value depends on the way of implementation. Scholars and studies of successful SF implementation are still in an infant stage, and companies find little guidance in literature. Therefore, research question one targets on how to implement the SF and research question two on the investigation of success factors, challenges and outcomes of the successful SF implementation. The literature review included 216 scholars in the field of SF implementation. On this basis, a theoretical proposition was developed, to guide data collection and analysis. For development of the practical framework, multiple case studies have been chosen. Through an orientation study, seven cases in a multinational manufacturing company have been selected for the research. The developed framework has been validated again with the experts in the company. The developed implementation framework consists out of two parts. A strategic implementation process, including a SF maturity model to support the gradual advancement towards the SF and an operational implementation process for SF technologies, to advance to the higher maturity level. The framework represents a step-by-step approach including key activities, success factors and challenges of each phase. To justify an implementation, different outcomes have been clustered and organized to provide an overview. As this work is based on the current advancement of the research field, it first provides a condensed summary of SF implementation and second, through answering RQ1 and RQ2 closes research gaps. Hence, it contributes to the further advancement of the research field by providing a clear framework on the implementation approach and key factors, as well as a starting point for further research. With the SF implementation framework, this work provides the missing connection between a directed strategic approach and new technology implementation with a step-by-step guideline to facilitate the implementation of SF. The framework represents a guideline, to be used by managers, including the most important aspects to consider.

Jelínková, Z. Contemporary trends of supplier-customer relations in engineering. Diploma thesis. Brno: Mendel University, 2017. The diploma thesis deals with the identifications specifics of the customer-supplier relations in engineering. In the first part of the thesis, the characteristics of the engineering industry in the Czech Republic are describe on the basis of secondary data. For comprehensive analysis of the issue, the collection of primary data is carried out through questionnaire surveys among Czech engineering companies and detailed interviews with representatives of the industry. Based on the questionnaire, the next part of the thesis describes the current trends and identifies the risks encountered on the domestic and foreign markets. At the end of the thesis is a proposal of measures for mitigation and elimination of the identified key risks and a case study for demonstration of elements and methods of Industry 4.0 in practice.

This diploma thesis is focused on analysing complementarity of Operational Program Enterprise and Innovation for Competitiveness and Industry 4.0. It starts with Literature Review, where the concept of Industry 4.0 and European Structural and Investment Funds are described and studied. The next part called Results starts with PESTE analysis done for small and medium sized enterprises with focus on Industry 4.0. Furthermore, Operational Program Enterprise and Innovation for Competitiveness is analysed with focus on program Technologies. Factors from PESTE analysis and from the analysis of operational program are evaluated to see their rate of influence. The most significant factors are then used in SWOT analysis that proposes four strategies. Out of the four strategies, support program is formed focusing on implementation of Industry 4.0 in small and medium sized companies.

Digitaliseringen innebär att stålindustrin idag står inför stora utmaningar, där krav på minskad miljöpåverkan i kombination med hög konkurrens ställer höga förväntningar på stålindustrins tillverkningsmetoder. För att erhålla en mer hållbar tillverkningsprocess och höja sin konkurrenskraft väljer många industrier att försöka digitalisera sin verksamhet i allt större utsträckning. Som ett steg i sin digitaliseringsprocess har Sandvik SMT Strip utökat ett befintligt styrsystem med en CMS-modul och givare för vibrationsmätning. Detta examensarbete ämnar presentera ett proof of concept för lagring och visning av data från vibrationsmätning i ett kallvalsverk vid Sandvik SMT Strip. Arbetet har bedrivits som en del av ett pilotprojekt hos Sandvik SMT Strip. Målsättningen med pilotprojektet är att uppnå en välfungerande implementering av vibrationsmätning för att kunna börja arbeta mer prediktivt med underhåll som idag sker helst proaktivt, men också reaktivt. Om en omställning kan göras där mer underhåll kan ske prediktivt är förväntningarna att kunna spara tid och resurser. Metoden för arbetet har varit av experimentell utvecklings-karaktär där det önskade resultatet varit styrande. Resultatet som presenteras i detta examensarbete är ett lösningsförslag på hur datalagring och presentation av vibrationsmätning med tillhörande frekvensanalys kan komma att se ut. Vidare har vissa delar av lösningsförslaget påbörjats med målet att visa upp ett proof of concept. Den slutsats som kan dras av arbetet är att en implementation för lagring och presentation av data med efterfrågad hård- och mjukvara är möjlig, men vidare arbete behövs för att erhålla ett proof of concept. / The fourth industrial revolution means that the steel manufacturing industry are faced with great challenges, where less environmental impact combined with high competition sets high expectations for the manufacturing method of steel. To achieve improvements in manufacturing and raise competitiveness, many manufacturers choose to digitalize their businesses to a greater extent. As a step in the digitalization process, Sandvik SMT Strip has chosen to extend one of their existing control systems with a CMS-module and sensors for vibration measurement. This bachelor thesis intends to present a proof of concept for presenting and storing data collected through vibration measurement in a cold rolling mill at Sandvik SMT Strip. The thesis work will be part of a pilot project at Sandvik SMT Strip. The goal of the pilot project is to achieve a well implemented vibration measurement solution to be able to use more predictive maintenance instead of the proactive and reactive maintenance used today. If an adaptation can be achieved where predictive maintenance is used to a larger extent the prospects are to save resources and time. The method for this thesis work has been experimental work in which the desired results have been governing. The result of this thesis work is a solution proposal for storing and presenting the data of vibration measurement in both time and frequency domain. Some parts of the solution proposal have been started with the goal to achieve a proof of concept. The conclusion presented in this thesis work is that an implementation for storing and presenting collected data with the desired soft- and hardware is possible, but more time is needed to obtain a proof of concept.

Innovations such as combustion engines, electricity and assembly lines have all had a significant role in manufacturing, where the past three industrial revolutions have changed the way manufacturing is performed. The technical progress within the manufacturing industry continues at a high rate and today's progress can be seen as a part of the fourth industrial revolution. The progress can be exemplified by ”Industrie 4.0”; the German government's vision of future manufacturing. Previous studies have been conducted with the aim of investigating the benefits, progress and relevance of Industry 4.0-technologies. Little emphasis in these studies has been put on differences in implementation and relevance of Industry 4.0-technologies across and within industries. This thesis aims to investigate the adoption of Industry 4.0-technologies among and within selected industries and what types of patterns that exists among them. Using a qualitative multiple case study consisting of firms from Aerospace, Heavy equipment, Automation, Electronics and Motor Vehicle Industry, we gain insight into how leading firms are implementing the technologies. In order to identify the factors determining how Industry 4.0-technologies are implemented and what common themes can be found, we introduce the concept production logic, which is built upon the connection between competitive priorities; quality, flexibility, delivery time, cost efficiency and ergonomics. This thesis has two contributions. In our first contribution, we have categorized technologies within Industry 4.0 into two bundles; the Human-Machine-Interface (HMI) and the connectivity bundle. The HMI bundle includes devices for assisting operators in manufacturing activities, such as touchscreens, augmented reality and collaborative robots. The connectivity-bundle includes systems for connecting devices, collecting and analyzing data from the digitalized factory. The result of this master thesis indicates that depending on a firm’s or industry’s logic of production, the adoption of elements from the technology bundles differ. Firms where flexibility is dominant tend to implement elements from the HMI-bundle to a larger degree. In the other end, firms with few product variations where quality and efficiency dominates the production logic tends to implement elements from the connectivity bundle in order to tightly monitor and improve quality in their assembly. Regardless of production logic, firms are implementing elements from both bundles, but with different composition and applications. The second contribution is within the literature of technological transitions. In this contribution, we have studied the rise and development of the HMI-bundle in the light of Geels (2002) Multi-Level Perspective (MLP). It can be concluded that an increased pressure on the landscape-level in the form of changes in the consumer-market and the attitudes within the labor force has created a gradual spread of the HMI-bundle within industries. The bundles have also been studied through Rogers (1995) five attributes of innovation, where the lack of testability and observability prevents increased application of M2M-interfaces. Concerning Big Data and analytics, the high complexity prevents the technology from being further applied. As the HMI-bundle involves a number of technologies with large differences in properties, it is hard draw any conclusion using the attributes of innovation about what limits their application.

Detta examensarbete analyserar optimering av energibesparande åtgärder vid ombyggnad. Stor del av de ca en miljon byggda bostäderna uppförda mellan åren 1950-1975 står idag inför ett stort renoveringsbehov. Samtidigt måste husen energieffektiviseras, då de står för en stor del av landets energianvändning. Det finns stora energibesparingsmöjligheter i och med energieffektiviseringen utav husen, om de mest optimala valen utförs. Samtidigt är det viktigt att visa på att de valda åtgärderna är ekonomiskt hållbara, för att initiativ till att energieffektivisera ska tas. Optimeringen utförs med hjälp av en koppling mellan ett simulationsprogram och ett optimeringsprogram. Målet är att visa fördelarna med den undersökta metoden och vilka resultat som erhålls. Energieffektivisering av en byggnad kan vara en komplex uppgift med många aspekter att ta hänsyn till. Det kan vara svårt att veta hur olika åtgärder påverkar energiprestandan och hur de samspelar med varandra. Det är dessutom alldeles för tidskrävande att manuellt undersöka olika värden på alla åtgärder, speciellt när åtgärderna är många. Metoden har testats på ett aktuellt ombyggnadsprojekt i förorten Kista, norr om Stockholm. Det studerade radhusområdet är byggt under den senare delen av miljonprogramssåren. Energideklaration på området visar att husen har en genomsnittlig energiprestanda på 182 kWh/m2 år, vilket kan jämföras med dagens nybyggnadskrav på 110 kWh/m2år. De energibesparande åtgärderna ska optimeras så att den lägsta livscykelkostnaden, under en vald tidsperiod, erhålls. En viktig aspekt i arbetet har varit att priserna ska vara dagsfärska och hämtade direkt ur det studerade projektet. Det har varit viktigt för att påvisa att metoden kan implementeras på verkliga projekt och att varje projekt är unikt. Resultaten presenteras i form av tre olika scenarier. Scenarierna skiljer sig genom att priser och parametrar som berör den ekonomiska kalkylen modifieras. Optimeringsresultaten indikerar på att energibehovet kan reduceras med upp till 60 %, i jämförelse med ursprungligt skick, samtidigt som god lönsamhet uppnås. Den presenterade metoden visade sig vara ett kraftfullt verktyg som är ett bra komplement i projekterings fasen. Metoden kan säkerligen vidareutvecklas för att blir mer användarvänligt och lättförståeligt.

Background This research study is in collaboration with the Blekinge Institute of Technology and Volvo Cars Body Components (VCBC). VCBC is a car manufacturer that manufactures car body components in Olofström, Sweden. VCBC is also a supplier for Volvo Cars production sites around the world, which puts more responsibility on VCBC and their work process. One of the limitations of this research will be a focus on a production line for nut welding, where various projection welding features are present.   Objectives The objectives of the study are to investigate the problems with the production line and present a conceptual solution which can make the process more efficient and effective in terms of e.g. the cycle time, value-adding activities, improvements of traditional work processes or equipment, ergonomics safety, reduction of frequent errors, etc. Most of the objectives are influenced by principles in lean manufacturing theory but will be compiled and integrated with new innovative solutions that are influenced by digitalization and industry 4.0. Methods The methods and tools which will be used for this research will be primarily from process engineering and systems engineering. Autodesk AutoCAD, Siemens Process Designer PLM and Robot Load are some of the software that will be used. Some tools and strategies used for the methodological approach are e.g. The design thinking process, Six Sigma, FMEA, Question-Method-Matrix, Material flow analysis, and Value stream analysis. Results A concept layout solution was generated, which consists primarily of a model in Autodesk AutoCAD and a simulated prototype in Siemens Process Designer PLM. Through several analyzes, based on the objectives of the research, it has been conducted that the concept is more efficient than the current process. Specifications such as cycle time, production line area, value-adding activities, etc. have been improved drastically. Several innovative idea solutions based on digitalization and industry 4.0 were also generated by implementing them as a way of tackling the challenges with lean theories and develop the traditional work process in a factory. Conclusions The contribution of the research analysis is the implementation of lean theories together with modern strategies, tools and software are from systems engineering and process engineering together with ideation and problem-solving techniques. This itself has contributed to all goal objectives of the research study being achieved, assessed and validated.