This research answers the complex decision-making question about identifying the quality dimensions in a polymer industry and to prioritize these quality dimensions to obtain the best quality product with minimum expenditure. This research takes use of expert opinion and right decision-making model to yield an optimal solution which will help the manufacturing plants to reduce wastage and to get a better consistent quality product throughout the production process.

Yes / Purpose - The COVID-19 pandemic has caused significant disruptions to global supply chains (SCs), affecting the production, distribution, and transportation of goods and ser- vices. To mitigate these disruptions, it is essential to identify the barriers that have im- peded the seamless operation of SCs. This study identifies these barriers and assesses their impact on supply chain network (SCN). Design/methodology/approach - To determine the relative importance of different bar- riers and rank the affected industries, a hybrid approach was employed, combining the best-worst method (BWM) and the technique for order preference by similarity to an ideal solution (TOPSIS). To accommodate the inherent uncertainties associated with the pan- demic, a triangular fuzzy TOPSIS was used to represent the linguistic variable ratings provided by decision-makers. Findings - The study found that the airlines and hospitality industry was the most affected by the barriers, accounting for 46% of the total, followed by the healthcare industry (23%), the manufacturing industry (19%), and finally the consumer and retail industry (17%). Research limitation/implications - This study is limited to the four critical industries and nine identified barriers. Other industries and barriers may have different weights and rankings. Nevertheless, the findings offer valuable insights for decision-makers in SC management, aiding them in mitigating the impact of COVID-19 on their operations and enhancing their resilience against future disruptions. Originality/value - This study enhances our understanding of COVID-19’s impact on SCN and provides a framework for assessing disruptions using multi-criteria decision-making processes. The hybrid approach of BWM and TOPSIS in a fuzzy environment is unique and offers potential applicability in various evaluation contexts.

För att vara konkurrenskraftiga på marknaden tvingas företag utveckla nya strategier för produktutveckling, som kan anpassas till allt högre kundbehov. Syftet med detta arbete var att effektivisera produktutvecklingen för företag inom tillverkningsindustrin. Målet var att utveckla en effektiv arbetsprocess för produktutveckling samt att tillämpa processen på ett projekt, där ett helautomatiskt snabbfäste till mindre hjullastare skulle standardiseras till företaget OilQuick.Examensarbetet delades in i två delar. Den första delen behandlar skapandet av arbetsprocessen. Denna grundas i befintlig forskning och identifierades genom en litteraturstudie. Den andra delen behandlar tillämpning av arbetsprocessen på standardiseringen av snabbfästet till hjullastare. Data och kunskap till arbetet samlades in genom marknadsundersökningar, studiebesök, möten med kunder och Reverse Engineering. Kundkraven rangordnades med Best-worst metoden och översattes till tekniska produktegenskaper med Kvalitetshuset.Tre koncept genererades i Autodesk Inventor utifrån kraven och produktegenskaperna, samt datan som framkom av Reverse Engineering och marknadsundersökningen. Enligt kundkravet behövde det färdiga snabbfästet passa minst fyra olika hjullastarmodeller i viktklassen fem till åtta ton. Detta medförde att alla tre koncepten modulbaserades, både för att underlätta eventuella modifikationer mellan hjullastarmodellerna och för att minimera antalet detaljer som behövde modifieras. Alla tre konceptens redskapsgrindar hade standardiserade mått som passade de undersökta hjullastarmodeller. Det koncept som bäst uppfyllde kundkraven utvärderades med Fuzzy TOPSIS metoden. Det slutgiltiga konceptet justerades utifrån kundens önskemål innan det färdiga resultatet presenterades.Resultatet visade att arbetsprocessen var effektiv; Reverse Engineering och samarbetet med kunden gav en inblick i problematiken och förståelse för produkten, Best-worst metoden gjorde att rangordningen av kraven gick snabbt utan att minska på pålitligheten och Fuzzy TOPSIS metoden effektiviserade konceptvalet samtidigt som alla inblandades åsikter blev hörda. För att effektivisera produktutvecklingen ytterligare bör fler metoder undersökas alternativt utvecklas.Konceptförslagen som konstruerades påvisade att det är möjligt att standardisera gränssnittet mellan hjullastare och redskap. Genom modulärkonstruktion kunde snabbfästet anpassas till fyra olika hjullastarmodeller. Innan vidareutveckling av snabbfästet bör fler hjullastare mätas upp och studeras. / In order to be competitive in the market, companies are forced to develop new strategies that can be adapted to ever-increasing customer requirements. The purpose of the work was to streamline product development for companies in the manufacturing industry. The objective was to develop an efficient work process for product development and apply the process to a project where a standardized fully automatic quick coupler for smaller wheel loaders would be developed for the company OilQuick.The thesis was divided into two parts. The first part deals with the development of a work process based on existing research. The second part deals with the application of the work process. Data for the application was collected through market research, meetings with customers and Reverse Engineering. Customer requirements were ranked using the Best-worst method and translated into technical specifications using the method QFD (House of Quality).Three concepts were generated based on the resulting requirements from the QFD. According to the customer requirements, the quick coupler had to be compliant with at least four different wheel loader brands in the weight span from five to eight tons. This meant that all three concepts were based on modular design, both to facilitate modifications between the wheel loader brads and to minimize the number of details that needed to be modified. All three of the concept's attachment brackets had standardized dimensions that fitted all examined wheel loader models. To determine which concept that best met the customer requirements the Fuzzy TOPSIS method was used. The final concept was adjusted based on OilQuick's requirements before the finished result was presented.The results showed that the work process was efficient and reliable and that the developed concept proposal indicates that it is possible for the company to standardize the interface between wheel loaders and attachments. With modular design the quick coupler can be adapted to the wheel loader brands that were studied. To ensure that the quick coupler can be applied to a larger variety of wheel loaders, it is necessary to examine and take measurements of more wheel loader brands before further development.