Uncertainty about how chemicals affect human health and the environment, and shortcomings in current chemicals legislation, make it necessary to motivate chemical users to work actively with risk management in order to achieve a high level of protection. In this study, the drivers of chemical risk management have been investigated in order to find out how a pro-active work could be promoted. A Q-methodology study was performed online with 15 respondents at 10 different engineering companies in the Gnosjö region in Sweden. The respondents were part of the middle management and the local top management and had an environmental responsibility. Two groups with different views on drivers were identified. To comply with legislation was the main driver of the market-oriented group, while the plant-oriented group considered an improved work environment for employees as the main driver. A tendency to differences between how drivers were valued by middle management and local top management could be distinguished. The study indicated a need to motivate companies to stay ahead of legislation, as well as to enhance the understanding of the environmental impact that the operations have on the environment, and may be used as a basis for further studies of drivers of chemical risk management. / Osäkerhet om hur kemikalier påverkar människors hälsa och miljön samt brister i nuvarande kemikalielagstiftning gör att företag som hanterar kemikalier behöver motiveras till att arbeta aktivt med riskhantering för att en hög skyddsninvå ska kunna uppnås. I föreliggande studie har drivkrafterna bakom arbetet med riskantering av kemikalier undersökts i syfte att ta reda på hur ett proaktivt arbete skulle kunna främjas. En Q-metodologistudie genomfördes online med 15 respondenter på 10 olika verkstadsföretag i Gnosjöregionen i Sverige. Respondenterna utgjordes av personer på mellanchefs- och ledningsgruppsnivå med miljöansvar. Två grupper med olika syn på drivkrafter identifierades. Att uppfylla lagstifning var den viktigaste drivkraften för den marknadsorienterade gruppen, medan den fabriksorienterade gruppen betraktade en förbättrad arbetsmiljö för anställda som den viktigaste drivkraften. En tendens till skillnad i hur drivkrafter värderades på mellanchefs- och ledningsgruppsnivå kunde urskiljas. Studien indikerade ett behov av att motivera företagen till att ligga steget före lagstiftning, samt att öka förståelsen för verksamheternas påverkan på miljön och kan ligga till grund för fortsatta studier rörande drivkrafter bakom riskhantering av kemikalier.

Die „Industrie 4.0“ steht für eine neue Stufe der Organisation und Steuerung der gesamten Wertschöpfungskette über den Produktlebenszyklus, der sich an den zunehmend individualisierten Kundenwünschen hinweg orientiert und von der Idee, dem Auftrag über die Entwicklung und Fertigung, die Auslieferung eines Produkts an den Endkunden bis hin zum Recycling, einschließlich der damit verbundenen Dienstleistungen erstreckt. Hierfür ist die Basis die Verfügbarkeit aller relevanten Informationen in Echtzeit durch Vernetzung aller an der Wertschöpfung beteiligten Instanzen sowie die Fähigkeit, aus den Daten den zu jedem Zeitpunkt optimalen Wertschöpfungsfluss abzuleiten (Ovtcharova 2016). Weiterhin lässt sich die Industrie 4.0 als durchgängige Vernetzung der Produktion und des gesamten Produktlebenszyklus mit Hilfe von Internettechnologien verstehen. Dabei sind Kunden- und Maschinendaten vernetzt (vgl. Abbildung 1). Weiterhin tauschen die intelligenten Maschinen und Systeme Informationen untereinander in Echtzeit aus. Somit verschmilzt die Produktion mit der Informations- und Kommunikationstechnik und wird von Werkstücken sowie Maschinen selbstständig, flexibel, effizient und ressourcenschonend gesteuert. Weiterhin werden die ausgetauschten Informationen und entstandenen Daten ständig geprüft, sodass es zu keiner Zeit zu einem Stillstand oder Engpass in der Produktion kommen kann. Durch die Anwendung von Industrie 4.0 entsteht ein großer Nutzen, der das Unternehmen im globalen Wettbewerb stark macht. [... aus Punkt 1]

<p>Black women make up 1.3% of undergraduate engineering students, 1% of bachelor’s engineering degrees awarded, and 0.6% of employed engineers. The magnitude of underrepresentation of Black women is strongly evident given the juxtaposition between these statistics and the percentage of Black women within the U.S. population. This underrepresentation of Black women in engineering exemplifies serious equity concerns involving the quality of women’s experiences in education and employment systems. The issues related to representation and retention in engineering among Black women signify that professional engineering environments that can be characterized by raced and gendered practices; practices that should be changed if engineering desires to be a more inclusive space for Black women. This reality brings up the question of whether undergraduate engineering education programs prepare Black women for the workplace and the extent to which their preparation process accounts for the raced and gendered challenges. This study examines the undergraduate preparation experiences of ten Black women engineers, exploring the challenges they have experienced that are associated with the raced and gendered culture of the engineering workplace. The goal of this study is to consider how undergraduate engineering education can better meet the needs of Black women so that they can successfully navigate the raced and gendered culture of engineering. Grounded in critical race feminism, this study leveraged narrative inquiry and counter-storytelling to address the following research question: How do Black women engineers describe their preparation to navigate the challenges in the engineering workplace associated with the raced and gendered culture of engineering? Findings from this study indicate that the formal curriculum of undergraduate engineering programs did not prepare Black women engineers for the raced and gendered culture of engineering. However, co-curricular activities, situated learning experiences, faith and spirituality, knowledge gained from graduate coursework, and the subsequent community cultural wealth gained from those experiences were instrumental in the preparation of Black women engineers for the raced and gendered culture of engineering. Two major implications of this work prompt the need for an ecosystems approach to change the culture of engineering and a formal preparation process for the raced and gendered culture of engineering.</p>

År 2020 formulerade lastbilsproducenten Scania CV AB ett mål kring att minska sin energi-förbrukning med 25% till år 2025, med energiförbrukningen för år 2020 som baslinje. Effektiviseringen är nödvändig för att lastbilsproducenten ska kunna fortsätta bedriva ett hållbart och ansvarsfullt företagande. Denna studie utförs hos produktionsenheten DI (drivline-injektor), enheten tillverkar bränsleinsprutningssystem för verksamheten Cummins-Scania XPI Manufacturing. Syftet med arbetet är att identifiera energibesparingsaktiviteter samt föreslå eventuella energibesparingsåtgärder för att kunna stödja produktionsenheten DI med att nå energireduceringsmålet på 25%. En implementationsplan formuleras i syfte att presentera tidslinjen för åtgärdsförslagen. Metoden som tillämpas för att identifiera aktiviteterna är främst litteraturstudier. Dessa kompletteras med empiriska studier som utförs i syfte att tillhandahålla information om produktionsanläggningen. Energikonsumtionen i ursprungsläget samt energikonsumtion efter implementerad åtgärd beräknas för samtliga åtgärdsförslag. Åtgärderna som föreslås för att produktionsenheten ska reducera sin energiförbrukning är följande: • Införa helg- och kvällsavstängningar på maskiner• Införa helg- och kvällsänkningar (viloläge) på maskiner• Byta belysning till LED• Sänka temperatur till följd av implementation av LED-lysrör• Byta till filter med lägre tryckfall• Åtgärda tryckluftsläckage med förebyggande underhåll Implementeringen av följande åtgärder resulterar till en total energibesparing på 228,8 MWh per år. / The year 2020 the truck manufacturer Scania CV AB established a goal of reducing its energy consumption by 25% by 2025, with the year 2020 as its starting point. Reduction of energy consumption is necessary for the truck manufacturer in order to continue to conduct both sustainable as well as responsible business. This study is performed at the production unit DI (driveline-injector), the unit manufactures fuel injection systems for the company Cummins-Scania XPI Manufacturing. The purpose of the report is to identify energy saving activities, and additionally propose energy saving actions to be able to support the production unit DI in achieving the energy reduction target of 25%. A supplementary implementation plan is formulated in order to display the timeline for the presented activities. The method applied to formulate the activities is mainly literature studies from digital scientific publishing systems. Furthermore, are empirical studies performed in order to provide information from the facility. Calculations are performed to identify and present the results of the current energy consumption as well as the energy calculations after the proposed activities. The measures the field study presents for the production unit to reduce its energy consumption result in the following: • Introduce weekend and evening shutdowns on machines• Introduce standby mode on machines• Replace lighting with LEDs• Lower the temperature as a result of implemented LEDs• Switch to filters with lower pressure drop• Implement preventative maintenance in order to reduce compressed air leakage The implementation of the following measures results in a total energy saving of 228.8 MWh per year.

Thesis (MBA (Business Management))--University of Stellenbosch, 2010. / The South African civil engineering profession is facing a crisis. This crisis which has occurred as a result of a diminishing numbers of qualified and experienced technical staff, which is due to an ageing professional population, a very understaffed 30 - 45 year old age group, and a relatively large junior technical staff component. This hour-glass shaped distribution of civil engineering technical staff has made experience and knowledge transfer difficult and extremely important. Civil engineering is a profession where a significant part of an engineer's knowledge is tacit and is gained from practical experience. To gain the necessary experience requires time, and it is in finding this time, amidst an increasingly competitive operating environment and overworked staff, that is becoming a hurdle for the civil engineering profession. The transfer of experience and knowledge needs to be accelerated; however, this requires an energised and motivated staff component. This relates to both those who pass on the knowledge and those that receive the same. This transfer process is time consuming and expensive. A consulting civil engineering company's financial investment in the training of its Generation Y (staff under the age of 30) is thus substantial. Because of this, the retention of these staff members becomes critical for the long term sustainability of the company. This research seeks to determine what motivates the Generation Y staff within Goba Consulting Engineers. Further to this, the research sought to determine what the preferred motivational factors are for the Generation Y staff who work for Goba Consulting Engineers. The objective of the research was for the results to be used as a tool for Goba Consulting Engineers to formulate a human resource policy that would seek to increase the motivation and job satisfaction of its Generation Y staff, and in so doing increase the retention rate of these personnel. Goba Consulting Engineers is a national civil consulting company that has 22 per cent of its staff in the Generation Y category (under the age of 30). These staff members were presented with a questionnaire containing questions about their basic needs, their preferred organisational structure and their preferred motivational factors. The questionnaire was housed on an external internet website and was to be completed electronically, which ensured anonymity of response. Only 37 per cent of the target population completed all the questions contained in the questionnaire. The responses were grouped, as per the research questions. The groups included individuals of different ethnic, administrative, regional and academic qualifications within Goba Consulting Engineers. The grouped responses were tested to determine whether they were statistically representative of the Generation Y staff within Goba Consulting Engineers. The results of the survey showed that the basic needs of the staff across the groupings were the same, with the need for growth being shown to be the most valued and desired. The responses also showed that the type of organisational structure preferred was that of a mechanistic type. The preferred motivational factor results revealed that differences between the groups, and that a strong emphasis was placed on factors that related to an integration of work and home/social/external life and influence. These results indicate that the conventional engineering management approach to motivation and reward may not be valid with respect to the Generation Y staff, and as such it may be prudent for Goba Consulting Engineers to formulate polices that are more applicable to these staff members.

工程產業一直扮演著產業火車頭的角色，台灣歷經多次的景氣循環，而工程產業的發展一直與景氣有著密不可分的關係；然而工程產業雖與景氣雖有著高度關聯性，但相較於其他產業的發展模式而言，卻具有相當高之差異度，因此本文對於工程產業之模式與發展欲進行較深入之分析；再者，台灣目前對於工程產業的分析文獻並不多見，並且大都著眼於大型工程公司的成功經驗，或是其發展成功之制度架構，但無法暸解該成功經驗之累積過程或是制度架構之轉換過程。而本研究欲對於現況進行突破，除針對成功發展經驗的累積及制度架構的轉換進行整合及連續性的分析，更引用個案A公司的實際中小型企業的案例，來觀察A公司的發展歷程，了解企業由小規模發展至中大規模的發展途徑上，可能的成功路徑與發展模式，並且由於個案A公司歷經台灣多次的景氣循環，其發展的經驗以及發展歷程更是彌足珍貴，對於台灣的中小型企業發展上，可提供有效的建議。 本文藉由產業價值鏈分析法，對於工程產業進行深入的分析，再藉由司徒老師所創制之策略矩陣，將產業價值鏈作為橫向面，與縱向面的產品策略構面及產業策略構面進行結合，賦予策略矩陣中的各「策略點」全新的邏輯與意義，以便於作為策略決策的連續動態過程的解釋。文中並舉以實際個案A公司之資料以及重大發展歷程與轉折，利用策略矩陣分析法，針對A公司進行分析，觀察其發展過程及決策過程。 / This paper will apply the strategic matrix which developed by Dr. Szu-Tu, utilizing a completely new strategic management perspective, to examine the relation between engineering industry and the transition of industry. The strategic matrix method was developed from industrial value chain and strategic types and is a logical procedure of strategic analysis and decision-making. It is very useful for analyzing the commercial environment, to know the operational features of the individual industry, and to determine the strengths of businesses. The strategic matrix method is often applied in the manufacturing industry due to the feasibility of determining the industrial value chain of the manufacturing industry. However, unlike the manufacturing industry, the industrial value chain of the engineering industry in this paper is difficult to determine. And most of the past studies discuss about engineering industry were aim at key-success factors of strategic management, but the paper to observe the dynamic process of the strategy for engineering industry is not exist. For the above reasons, this paper will perform the dynamic process between value chain and strategic dimensions, and providing the suggestions about how to improve the competitiveness for small and medium-sized enterprises in Taiwan.

This dissertation aims to contribute to the discourse on the future of manufacturing in Sweden. It is argued that the real threat does not come from lower wages in Eastern Europe and Asia. Rather it comes from an inability to make the most of existing manufacturing systems. The joint contribution of the underlying studies that this dissertation is based on provides compelling support for corroborating this line of thought. More important, however, is that in addition to showing that there is room for improvement, a lot of input is provided on how to act creatively for enhanced performance. The discussion on how to act mainly focuses on three research issues. First, enhancing continuous improvement capability. The continuous improvement abilities considered most important for Swedish manufacturers to develop are pointed out. That is, the ability to adopt a systematic and strategic approach to continuous improvements, the ability to lead the way towards continuous improvements, and finally the ability to involve customers and suppliers in continuous improvements. Furthermore, the likely positive performance impact of accomplishing this is clarified. Second, adopting the principles of lean manufacturing. Rather than reinforcing Taylorism, it is shown that lean manufacturing seems to contribute to the creation of sustainable work systems in Sweden. However, a broad process of change awaits the many companies that might aspire to transform their operations in this direction. In order to reap the full potential of this strategy, the work organisation, as well as management accounting and remuneration systems, must change, not only manufacturing processes. Third and finally, making more effective outsourcing decisions. It is shown that any positive effects of outsourcing manufacturing are more likely to be realized if concurrent initiatives are taken to develop the capability of the manufacturing function. The analysis also indicates a potential for taking a more strategic approach to outsourcing, i.e., outsourcing in order to increase focus on core manufacturing activities and take advantage of the supplier’s higher innovation capability. Moreover, a potential for selecting suppliers more appropriately is also indicated, such as by trying to achieve greater economies of scale. The chosen methodological approach has been to combine two large-scale surveys of representative samples of Swedish engineering industry companies with two multiple case studies. The surveys measured continuous improvement behaviours, lean manufacturing and outsourcing, and provides descriptive statistics as well as tests of theoretical assumptions. The case studies provide a deeper understanding of researched issues. One was designed to illustrate how the Balanced Scorecard may enhance the continuous improvement capability level, and the other, to hearing some voices of the empirical field. / QC 20100525

<p>Diss. Umeå : Umeå universitet, 1988</p> / digitalisering@umu

The thesis is called The Factors of Competiveness of Companies in Engineering Industry. I deal with the current situation in engineering, meaning of innovations in companies, the aspects which stimulate them and on the contrary limit them and the possibilities of various kinds of cooperation. The thesis explains the importance of regular analysis of situation of companies on the market, careful determination and fulfillment of the strategy and the operational effectiveness. According to the used resources the factors of competitiveness were determined. In the practical part I analyzed four companies from the surroundings of Ústí nad Orlicí which produce radiators, fittings, machines for textile industry and buses. From acquired information it is possible to say that these companies are competitive and they focus on innovations. I discussed the factors of competitiveness with the managers of engineering companies and I created the summary of the factors which influence prosperity of the engineering companies.

The South African economy desperately requires an injection from small manufacturing enterprises that are productive and highly organized - hence the need to identify suitable productivity measurement approaches for use in these enterprises. The following research question was formulated: Which productivity approach( es) is (are) generally most suitable for small manufacturing enterprises in the steel and engineering industry of South Africa? The following directions of research were identified: (1) A literature search revealed 12 productivity measurement approaches. The theory of each is discussed in detail. (2) An empirical search was performed to establish the requirements of industry. This process is fully discussed. The results of both the literature and empirical searches were used to develop a list of criteria. These criteria were compared with each of the approaches, and only three were found to conform to these requirements. The results of this comparison provided the answer to the research question. / Department of Business Management / M.Com (Business Management)