Supply Planning in the Automotive Industry is a vital ingredient for Supply Chain Integration. The role and function of a Supply Planner, although clearly defined in European developed methods, lacks the practical dimension. This paper describes such a practical approach that was developed for Supply Planning in the South African Automotive Industry. The framework highlights all the aspects – from a business and functional perspective - that need to be considered on a global and local scale. The framework describes the role and responsibilities of the Supply Planner as an active supply chain designer during the product/production development process. / Dissertation (MEng (Industrial Engineering))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Industrial and Systems Engineering / unrestricted

Syfte – Syftet med studien är att undersöka förbättringsmöjligheter i materialflödet mellan godsmottagning och montering. Syftet har brutits ner i tre frågeställningar: Vilka aktiviteter påverkar materialflödet mellan godsmottagning och montering? Hur påverkar aktiviteterna materialflödet mellan godsmottagning och montering? Hur kan materialflödet mellan godsmottagning och montering effektiviseras? Metod – En förstudie genomfördes för att definiera en problemformulering, vilket låg till grund för utformandet av studiens syfte och frågeställningar. En litteraturgenomgång och fallstudie har utförts parallellt med varandra. Datainsamlingen gjordes genom metoderna observation, dokumentstudie och intervjuer. Litteraturgenomgången genomfördes för att skapa det teoretiska ramverket. Syftet och frågeställningarna besvarades genom empirisk data och teorier. Resultat – Flera problem identifierades under studien som direkt påverkar materialflödet. I Icke värdeskapande aktiviteter, exempelvis hanterings- och lagerpunkter, påverkar ett materialflöde då det binds kapital och kräver resurser. En korrekt informationsdelning och ett nära samarbete mellan avdelningar anses vara en viktig faktor för materialflödets effektivitet. Genom att använda line back-principen kan aktiviteter som inte skapar värde för materialflödet förflytttas uppströms i försörjningskedjan för att möjliggöra en implementation av just in sequence. Implikationer – Då det redan existerar mycket teori inom problemområdet har ingen ny forskning etablerats. Däremot har studien belyst en ny synvinkel inom redan befintlig teori, där förhållandet mellan just in sequence och line back-principen belysts. Studien kan även användas som ett diskussionsunderlag för att kartlägga och effektivisera verksamheters materialflöde mellan godsmottagning och montering. Begränsningar – Studiens generaliserbarhet kan ifrågasättas då den endast involverar ett fallföretag. Då fallföretagets materialflöde ständigt är i rörelse försvårades datainsamlingen. Detta kan ha påverkat studiens resultat. / Purpose – The purpose of the thesis is to explore potential enhancements for the material flow between the goods receiving and the assembly line. The purpose has been broken down to three research questions: What activities affect the material flow between the goods receiving and the assembly line? How does the activities affect the material flow between the goods receiving and the assembly line? How can the material flow between the goods receiving and the assembly line be more efficient? Method – A pilot study was conducted to define a problem, which the purpose and research questions of the thesis was based on. A review of literature was carried out alongside a case study. Observations, document studies and interviews were the methods of choosing for the collection of data. To establish the theoretical framework a literature review was carried out. A comparison between the findings of the case study and theoretical framework answered the study’s research questions. Findings – The study identified several problems with an immediate impact on the material flow. Non-value adding operations such as material handling and stock locations ties capital and requires resources. To correctly share information and to have a close cooperation between departments is considered as an important factor for the material flow’s efficiency. By using line back principle non-value adding operations can be pushed upstream in the supply chain to enable an implementation of just in sequence. Implications – The studied area consists of already existing theories therefor no additional research has been contributed. However, a new aspect of already existing theory has enlightened the relationship between just in sequence and line back principle. Organizations can use the case study as a basis of discussion for a mapping and improvements of the material flow between the goods receiving and the assembly lines. Limitations – The thesis ability to generalize can be questioned since it consists of only one case company. The material flow was constantly in motion which complicated the collection of data. Therefor the findings of the study can be affected by this.

Purpose - The purpose of the bachelor thesis is to describe the relationship between Third-party logistics (3PL) suppliers and car assemblers under Just-in-sequence (JIS). The paper refers to a case in the Spanish automotive industry and the main target is to identify and analyse the potential problems between both parts and explain how they work together. Methodology – The paper is based on a case study research, with the aid of interviews with people of the industry and participant-observations, to explain how this part of the supply chain works, the relationships along the chain and the difficulties of sequencing. Results – The paper identifies and analyses the potential problems between both parts and relates how a mistake from one of them can affect the other one. Then, the results are discussed and associated with some concepts of the theoretical framework. Limitations - The results of this case study can only be related to the Spanish automotive industry, for car assemblers that work under a JIS context with several 3PL suppliers. The case study only identifies and analyses the problems, solutions and measures for managing them are not provided.

The Diploma Thesis seeks to evaluate key markets of the SKODA Auto company in terms of purchasing and supply possibilities. It analyzes both Skoda's external and internal environments and assesses current conditions in their key foreign supply market. Furthermore, it describes the purchasing process, methods of localization of suppliers, as well as possible methods of evaluation of Skoda's suppliers. The Thesis should provide the reader with an overview of current trends and opportunities in Skoda's supplier market.