This thesis deals with the design of a lean manufacturing process with the main focus on the modification of the production layout of the heat pump production line, at Daikin Device Czech Republic s.r.o. In the introductory part of the thesis, the theoretical background is elaborated and then the company is introduced briefly. The next part analyzes the currently produced models, production processes, the line in terms of current layout and finally the process times. Based on these analyzes, a new layout of the production line and storage space is presented. In the next part of the thesis, the conditions of implementation are defined. The final part evaluates the benefits of this work based on the real results that the new layout resulted in.

Simulace výrobních procesů pomáhá optimalizovat výrobu, logistiku a další systémy, díky čemuž dochází ke snižování nákladů a racionalizaci vnitropodnikových procesů. Využitím diskrétní simulace programu Witness Power with Ease se v diplomové práci optimalizuje logistický tok materiálu ve společnosti Hella Autotechnik, s.r.o. Práce přibližuje metody a jednotlivé fáze tvorby modelu včetně jeho validace a navrhuje vylepšení, díky kterému by mělo dojít ke snížení nákladů na dopravní služby o 24 400 Kč měsíčně.

This diploma thesis deals with the proposal of improving company competition standing with the use of optimization and reorganization of production in ACO Industries k.s. This thesis also deals with supporting tools for reorganization and optimization of production, such as for example “slim production”. The main contribution of this work is reduction of time and money needed for production in order for the company to effectively increase the production rate, aiming at doubling the production and turnover in 2020.

This thesis deals with the implementation of quality management system in the project of Metro of London, implemented by Otis a.s. The theoretical part describes quality management tools. In the analytical part, there are mapped processes of project of Metro of London and identified problems and opportunities for improvement of processes of this project. Based on this analysis of outputs, there are designed corrective moves and their evaluation for defined problems.

This thesis deals with examination of the efficiency of the use of the selected machine in the company HARTMANN – RICO, and presents proposals of its increase through lean production methods. The introductory section offers a description of the company's business activities. The theoretical part summarizes the most important findings and methods of lean production. The analytical part examines the machine in terms of production process and subsequently offers an analysis of the current state conducted in order to find bottlenecks in production. The practical part presents proposals of lean production methods implementation with the purpose of increasing the efficiency of the machine.

The subject of the master’s thesis is the implementation of ICT product in logistic department of enterprise which uses the lean production. The current situation is analyzed the analysis of enterprise economic status is provided and Lean Manufacturing-oriented logistics ICT products are described. The two leading ICT products which could help to optimize the logistics processes are compared, the system requirements and bottlenecks expected are determined.

A Kaizen event (KE) may be defined as a structured improvement project that uses a cross-functional team and specific improvement goals to improve a targeted work area or process in an accelerated time frame. KEs, also known as Rapid Improvement Events (RIEs), have been utilized within hospitals to achieve beneficial operations, stakeholder (i.e., social), financial, and clinical outcomes. Due to their potential to achieve positive results in a rapid timeframe, understanding the determinants of KE success within a hospital environment is a valuable research undertaking. To date there has been limited rigorous empirical quantitative research focused on identifying success factors (SFs) influencing socio-technical outcomes of hospital-based KEs. Hence, this empirical research study seeks to determine the critical success factors (CSFs) for KEs in hospitals. For the first phase of this research work, a comprehensive systematic literature review (SLR) was conducted to identify the success factors (SFs) for KEs in hospitals as reported in the literature. This SLR resulted in the identification of 54 unique success factors mapping to four broad success factor categories, KE Task Design, KE Team Design, Organization, and KE Process. Thereafter, the second phase, which involved the variable reduction process, was performed to determine the strength of effect, or importance, of the SFs in order to determine a feasible number of SFs to include in further empirical work. Two robust methods were applied; a Meta-synthesis Evaluation and an Expert Survey, to query the SFs and to determine high priority factors for the empirical study. As a result, a total of 30 factors were finalized for empirical study. Next, the last phase, the empirical study to investigate and determine the CSFs for KEs in hospitals, was executed using a retrospective field study survey research design. Specifically, a survey questionnaire was designed to elicit feedback on perceptual measures from targeted hospital KE facilitators/leaders on the criticality of SFs on socio-technical outcomes for KEs in hospitals. Sixty usable responses were obtained, which were subjected to Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM), which were used to identify latent factor constructs and to determine the significance of the SFs, respectively. The results of this study identified seven significant direct relationships. Kaizen Event Design Characteristics (KEDC) and Target Area Buy-in (TABI) were found to have significant direct effects with both dependent variables, Performance Impact (PI) and Growth in Kaizen Capabilities (KCG). In addition, KEDC also had a significant direct relationship with Performance Culture (PC) and Team Dynamics (TD), respectively. Also, PC has a significant direct relationship with TD. Furthermore, Logistic Regression was utilized to test the SFs impact on the one objective technical outcome measure in the study, Goal Attainment (GOALATT). This analysis revealed one significant negative relationship occurring between TD and GOALATT. Overall, the study's findings provide evidence-based results for informing hospital managers, leaders, and continuous improvement practitioners on the key factors or value-added practices that can be adopted in their hospital KE initiatives to achieve beneficial socio-technical outcomes, as well as overall hospital KE success. Furthermore, this research can enable academia/researchers to strategize more confirmatory analysis approaches for theory validation and generalizability. / Doctor of Philosophy / The focus of this research study is to identify the most significant factors for Kaizen events (KEs) in hospitals, referred herein as critical success factors (CSFs). A KE may be defined as a structured improvement project that uses a cross-functional team and specific improvement goals to improve a targeted work area or process in an accelerated time frame. The aim of the study is to ultimately improve KE practice in hospitals through increased understanding of CSFs that can be planned or designed into KE processes to increase the likelihood of successful event outcomes. Various research formulation, development, and testing techniques are applied to frame the research study according to the aims and objectives and to achieve targeted research outcomes. The overall research design encompasses a retrospective study approach, performing a large-scale field study using a survey questionnaire to empirically identify the CSFs for KEs in hospitals. To help frame the research, a systematic literature review (SLR) along with bibliometric analyses were conducted. To help refine and select the success factors for empirical study, a meta-synthesis evaluation and an expert survey study were conducted. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and partial least squares-structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) along with mediation analyses (MA) were performed to identify key factors, determine the significance of those factors, and to understand the influential relationships of those factors to hospital KE success. Results from this study aim to inform healthcare managers, healthcare improvement practitioners, researchers, and other relevant stakeholders about the critical components needed to achieve hospital KE success. The dissertation is documented according to a "manuscript style," using a journal/conference paper format to organize and report on the key findings and results obtained from the investigation. The Introduction chapter is provided to introduce the research study topic, study significance, indicate the overall research aims and objectives, present the overall research approach and design methodology, and to enumerate the main publication outputs and outcomes from this dissertation work. The Conclusions chapter summarizes the overall research outcomes, key study findings, study limitations, and provides areas for future research.

Le but de cette recherche est de décrire et comprendre le fonctionnement du management de la créativité dans des entreprises d’assemblage automobiles en Thaïlande. La question principale qui est posée est «comment peut-on gérer la créativité dans l’entreprise ? ». La stratégie d'étude de cas, a été privilégiée à d’autres modes de recherche qualitative. Les données provenant de sources multiples ont été rassemblées: les documents, les protocoles des entretiens avec des participants de niveau hiérarchique différent dans l’entreprise. Quatre études de cas sont présentées. La créativité dans les entreprises d'assemblage en Thaïlande est basée essentiellement sur le concept de ‘Kaizen’. L'étude démontre que les valeurs culturelles et sociales thaïes ont une influence déterminante sur la créativité du salarié. L'activité de créativité au niveau de l'individu et au niveau du groupe ainsi que les facteurs qui ont une influence sur la gestion de la créativité ont été présentés dans cette étude. / The purpose of this study is to understand and describe the creativity management in the car assembly companies in Thailand. The main research question is how can manage the creativity. The case study strategies, which is one of the strategies in the qualitative research methodology is used. Data were collected from multiple sources: documentary evidence, guided interviews with the participants from different positions. Four case studies are presented in this study. The creativity’s definition in Thai car assembly companies was defined based on the concept of Kaizen. The study demonstrates Thai cultural and social values have some effects on the employee’s creativity. The creativity activity in individual and group level, and the factors that influence on creativity management were presented in this study.

El presente proyecto propone disminuir el stock de producto terminado y el IR empezando por los cinco productos VIP (electrodos revestidos convencionales); debido a que el stock promedio actual se encuentra en 350 ton mientras que la meta de la empresa es de 200 ton; asimismo, el IR actual es de 1.92 vueltas y se quiere llegar a un IR de 3 vueltas; generando así un impacto económico de $177,237 en promedio al cierre de cada mes en valor de inventarios. Para esto, se analiza los procesos de planeamiento y control de la producción y los estándares y políticas establecidas en la empresa. El desarrollo de este informe va de acuerdo a los planteamientos teóricos investigados en artículos de investigación publicados en revistas y libros por varios actores con experiencia en inventarios. Cabe mencionar que este proyecto se centra fundamentalmente en aplicar la metodología Lean Manufacturing usando la herramienta Kanban Pull System, puesto que se vio que la causa principal es que actualmente presenta una política de planeamiento en función a la capacidad de planta (Sistema “Push”). Por último, se validó la viabilidad de la propuesta de mejora mediante una propuesta de simulación, una propuesta teórica, comparación de indicadores y flujo económico. Del análisis anterior, se obtuvo que la Productividad aumentó de 286 a 301 kg/hh, la cantidad de operarios disminuyó de 117 a 90, la capacidad de planta disminuyó de 74 a 59 ton, y el periodo de recuperación de la inversión del proyecto es de 0.33 meses. / The present project proposes to reduce the stock of finished product and the IR starting with the five VIP products (conventional coated electrodes); because the current average stock is at 350 tons while the company's goal is 200 tons; likewise, the current IR is 1.92 laps and you want to reach an IR of 3 laps; thus generating an economic impact of $ 177,237 on average at the end of each month in value of inventories. For this, the processes of planning and control of production and the standards and policies established in the company are analyzed. The development of this report is in accordance with the theoretical approaches investigated in research articles published in journals and books by several actors with experience in inventories. It is worth mentioning that this project focuses mainly on applying the Lean Manufacturing methodology using the Kanban Pull System tool, since it was seen that the main cause is that it currently presents a planning policy based on plant capacity (Push System). Finally, the viability of the improvement proposal was validated through a simulation proposal, a theoretical proposal, comparison of indicators and economic flow. From the previous analysis, it was obtained that the Productivity increased from 286 to 301 kg / hh, the number of workers decreased from 117 to 90, plant capacity decreased from 74 to 59 tons, and the recovery period of the project investment is of 0.33 months. / Tesis

This project has been initiated in cooperation with a Swedish manufacturing company. Due to increased demand and competition, the company wants to streamline its production process, increase the degree of automation and visualize specific workflows. By creating a frame of reference and a literature review, a theoretical basis for methods and concepts which has been utilized throughout the project has been obtained. With the help of the identified methods and methodologies, a current state analysis was performed. Using traditional Lean tools such as Genchi genbutsu, Ishikawa diagram and a 5-why analysis, in combination with time studies and interviews, the current state of the studied system was successfully mapped and analysed. With the help of the current state analysis, which served as a conceptual model, a simulation model of the current state was created in order to handle the large variety and the complexity of the system. The simulation model was validated and verified in order to ensure that it was “good enough” for the purpose of this project in the depiction of the real world system. During the experimental design, several improvement suggestions were created by utilizing methods such as brainstorming, Ishikawa diagram and a 5-why analysis. In a Kaizen event, onsite personnel had the opportunity to decide which suggestions that was fit for experimentation using simulation. With the result of the Kaizen event, experiments were performed in order to evaluate the proposed improvement suggestion. As a result, several new insights regarding improvements could be obtained, which provided several suggestions for an improved future state. Including a proposed automated cell. The analysis of the results did not entirely satisfy the aim of the project since certain factors could not be analysed, therefore the authors recommend that further studies are needed if proposed improvement suggestions are to be implemented.