In manufacturing, requirements are an essential aspect of the development process. A requirements view provides a perspective on how requirements are incorporated into the design and architecture of a system. Requirements documents for different product versions at a company like Alstom contain operational scenarios and Given-When-Then requirements, a specific format for expressing functional requirements. Operational scenarios are examples of how the product will be used in real-world situations, and they can also be useful for identifying and specifying functional and nonfunctional requirements. Currently, operational scenarios are manually linked to Given-When-Then requirements. This thesis presents a conceptual design that streamlines the requirements engineering process and allows for easier linking operational scenarios to Given-When-Then requirements.

Företagssammanslagningar kan vara en avgörande strategi för företag att växa och nå nya höjder av framgång. Men att genomföra en sammanslagning är en invecklad process som kräver noggrann planering för att lyckas. Vår undersökning syftade till att hitta nyckelfaktorerna som kan leda till en lyckad sammanslagning. Resultaten visade att det finns flera faktorer som är avgörande, inklusive en gemensam vision, ledarskap, kommunikation, förhandlingar och avtal, resurser och kundrelationer.           För att förstå dessa faktorer djupare använde vi oss av en narrativ litteraturgenomgång. Genom att undersöka ämnet från olika perspektiv kunde vi bygga en djupare förståelse av sammanslagningar. I vår empiriska undersökning använde vi kvalitativa intervjuer för att samla in data om sammanslagningar.            En av de viktigaste faktorerna som framkom var ledarskapets betydelse i att underlätta sammanslagningen genom att erbjuda stöd och resurser för att möta utmaningarna i processen. Förhandlingar och avtal är också avgörande verktyg för att skapa en överenskommelse som fungerar för båda parter. Men det är också viktigt att ha kunskap om kulturella skillnader som kan påverka samarbetet.            Resultaten av vår undersökning kan vara till hjälp för andra företag som planerar en sammanslagning, och kan även vara användbara för forskare som undersöker ämnet. Det är dock viktigt att poängtera att våra resultat är subjektiva och baserade på respondenternas åsikter om sammanslagningar. Valet av respondenter och forskningsmetod kan också påverka resultatens tillförlitlighet.             Sammanfattningsvis är framgångsrika sammanslagningar en utmaning, men genom att ha en klar vision och ledarskap, samt att bygga en öppen och samarbetsvillig kultur, kan företag nå nya höjder av framgång och lönsamhet. / Mergers and acquisitions can be a critical strategy for companies to grow and reach new heights of success. However, executing a merger is a complex process that requires careful planning to succeed. Our research aimed to identify the key factors that can lead to a successful merger. The results showed that there are several critical factors, including a shared vision, leadership, communication, negotiation and agreements, resources, and customer relationships.           To gain a deeper understanding of these factors, we used a narrative literature review. By examining the topic from various perspectives, we could build a more profound understanding of mergers. In our empirical investigation, we used qualitative interviews to collect data about mergers.           One of the most critical factors that emerged was the importance of leadership in facilitating the merger by offering support and resources to meet the challenges of the process. Negotiation and agreements are also essential tools for creating an agreement that works for both parties. However, it is also important to be aware of cultural differences that can affect collaboration.           The results of our study can be helpful for other companies planning a merger and can also be useful for researchers investigating the topic. However, it is important to note that our results are subjective and based on respondents' opinions about mergers. The choice of respondents and research method can also affect the reliability of the results.        In conclusion, successful mergers are a challenge, but by having a clear vision and leadership and building an open and collaborative culture, companies can reach new heights of success and profitability.

Predictive maintenance is a topic that has been researched and theorized for decades. With the advent of Industry 4.0 and greater technological capabilities in the form of advanced AI, the concept of predicting the need for maintenance in a system or its components is quickly becoming more of a reality for complex processes. The possibility of estimating remaining useful lifetimes would help businesses with maintenance scheduling to avoid unnecessary maintenance actions, but also process failures. Predicting when maintenance is needed would ensure system or component reparation or replacement before they are degraded to the point of negative product quality impact and production losses. While there are many studies on predictive maintenance and how it can be implemented and used in continuous processes, the research on complex batch processes is minimal. Therefore, this thesis aims to construct a framework based on literature for implementing predictive maintenance in batch processes. Parts of the framework are then applied and validated on a complex batch process in the form of sintering at Seco Tools AB. Recommendations are given on how to implement predictive maintenance and what is required in the company’s specific case based on the sintering process’ agreement with the framework. The framework consists of two main parts with several underlying requirements: Data collection and pre-processing and Predictive models. Evaluating the sintering process based on these requirements reveals that many parts of the framework are already in place or possible to implement, while other areas are lacking. There is a need for data cleaning and data related to component health and issues, while the amount of specific parameter data on temperatures, pressures, and similar variables is large. It is possible to predict these parameters accurately through building, training, and validating linear regression models. These predictions can be used as inputs in future models to predict the Remaining Useful Life (RUL) of components or the entire system. Due to the inherent complexity of the sintering process and similar industrial manufacturing processes, which involve numerous interdependent variables affecting product quality and component health, it is imperative to develop machine learning models and neural networks for future predictive maintenance algorithms. Moreover, as highlighted in this thesis, the attainment of predictive maintenance in an industrial environment necessitates prioritizing augmented data collection on component conditions, investing in hardware to bolster computational power, and acquiring the essential expertise to design and implement tailored predictive maintenance algorithms for dedicated manufacturing processes.

Syftet med studien har varit att utveckla mer kunskap om skolorganisationen och undersöka hur en skolorganisation bedriver kvalitets- och förbättringsarbete. Genom kvalitativa intervjuer med personer som arbetar inom bildningsområdet på huvudmannanivå och chefsnivå samt genom en undersökning av litteratur och artiklar inom området har studien genomförts. Resultat och analys har sammanställts för att ge en övergripande bild av hur förbättringsarbete bedrivs inom en skolorganisation.  Denna studie utgår från litteratur och intervjuer med chefer inom skolledningen för att undersöka hur kvalitetsarbetet bedrivs inom en skolorganisation. Fokus ligger på chefernas syn på förbättringsarbete, dess utmaningar och framgångsfaktorer, samt utvecklingsarbete inom skolorganisationen. / The purpose of the study has been to develop more knowledge about the school organization and investigate how a school organization conducts quality and improvement work. The study has been carried out through qualitative interviews with people who work in the field of education at principal and manager level, as well as through a survey of literature and articles in the field. Results and analysis have been compiled to give an overall picture of how improvement work is carried out within a school organization. This study is based on literature and interviews with managers in school management to investigate how quality work is conducted within a school organization. The focus is on the leaders view of improvement work, its challenges and success factors, as well as development work within the school organization.

This report has been written to analyze a newly acquired measurement method within the companyAston Harald Mekaniska Verkstad AB, which is a 3D scanner made by the company Creaform. Thismodel bought has the name Metrascan 3D Black Elite. 3D scanning is an optical measurement methodwhich uses light to create a mesh of a measured object, where it is later compared to a nominal CAD filein the software Polyworks Inspector. To verify this method of measurement, it will be compared to twoother known calibrated and verified methods, which are coordinate measuring machines (CMM) andregular measuring instruments, which includes several kinds of micrometers and general anglemeasuring devices. To analyze and compare these methods an amount of data will be collected, and willbe used to conduct statistical analysis, where the mean/median, normal distribution, standarddeviation, and confidence intervals are included. The report will analyze two different kinds of data,where the first set consists of regular geometries such as linear and circular measurements, as well asseveral kinds of GD&T (Geometric Dimensions and Tolerances). The second set involves more complexgeometries according to the ISO standard ISO 484. The first set of data will be analyzed using amanufactured reference object, made using the aluminum alloy AL-7020 T6. The second set will beanalyzed using a propeller blade borrowed from the company Kongsberg. The results from this reportshow that 3D scanning is not as accurate nor as precise compared to CMM measurement and regularhand measuring instruments and cannot replace these measuring methods entirely. An empiricalformula has been derived from the analyzed data, and tolerance intervals are recommended to beincreased by approximately 0.1 to 1.0 % percent for regular linear and circular measurements dependingon the size of the detail measured. and upwards of 200 percent for GD&T tolerance intervals. However,3D scanning shows a greater promise when it comes to scanning propeller blades, as most measurementpoints were within specification according to the ISO 484 standard, and results can be further improved,such as with a tighter scanning mesh. Quality control and regulation is a topic whose discussion wasdesired, however, due to time constraints and the sensitivity of the scanner equipment, only an FMEAtable of potential error sources has been made for this report. Ergonomically some issues were found,particularly when it comes to static loading of arm muscles and repeated neck movement, both potentialsources for fatigue and injury. Recommended solutions for this include a flexible workstation whereboth the operator and the workpiece can be adjusted for optimal movement with minimal strain onpreviously mentioned body parts. Future improvements include performing a regression analysis ondifferent reference objects with many similar measurement types, for instance 50 holes with differentdiameters, which can lead to direct comparison formulas compared to nominal values. Furthermore,tests can be repeated with eliminating fault sources such as bad lightning.

Since small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs) represent a backbone for sustainable economicgrowth, the need for increasing the degree of automation in production plants is pushing today’sengineers to find customized and cost-efficient solutions. In the Industry 4.0 context, SMEswhich are aspiring towards quality, competitiveness and overall customer satisfaction requireto work with a systematic approach for implementing cyber physical systems (CPS) that arefunctioning autonomously and independently from human interaction. An essential area withinmanufacturing is represented by the maintenance of CNC machine’s tools that are directlyresponsible for achieving high-quality products. Since corrective maintenance is associatedwith uncertainty, unforeseen costs and increased downtime, the focus is diverted towardsuprising trends of preventive and predictive maintenance policies. The purpose of this thesis isto increase knowledge in the field of new maintenance practices in the context of Industry 4.0and to provide a framework for achieving customizable automated solutions adapted for theneeds and requirements of each individual SME. The work has used a guideline which isfollowing to transform the needs of SMEs into technical specifications which are used fordesigning and generating conceptual solutions whose effect is assessed from technical,economic, socio-environmental, operational and schedule perspective. For this matter, a casestudy has been conducted in a Swedish SME where there is a need for developing an automatedsolution for data collection in order to enable preventive and predictive maintenance. Forachieving this purpose and contribute to filling the gap in academic research on this matter, aframework for development and analysis of automated data collections is created based on thesystematic practices of concept development methodology to which a supplementary feasibilityanalysis is added for increasing the understanding of their impact. Furthermore, this frameworkis conceived to offer a long-term holistic view of the future changes resulted by theimplementation of automated solutions.

In this report, the topics of quality management, knowledge work, and Lean Six Sigma areexplored with the objective of identifying potential improvements that could be facilitated byData mining methods. With the purpose of exploring the topic of knowledge extraction fromfree-text data to support decision-making in manufacturing operations from a qualitymanagement perspective. Due to increased amounts of data being generated by new technologiessuch as Industrial Internet of Things, and increasingly complex production systems, newchallenges are emerging for manufacturing companies (Titmarsh, et al., 2020; Kamm, et al.,2021). These developments can potentially lead to an escalation of the demands on knowledgeworkers within quality management due to additional data processing. Such tasks have beenobserved to potentially increase cognitive load with decreased knowledge work productivity asa consequence, which is a key factor in effective quality management (Yusoff, et al., 2017). Inparticular, free-text data have been observed to be a challenge when implementing data miningmethods.The conducted research was guided by the following three research questions:RQ 1: What are the challenges of manually performed knowledge discovery in data for qualitymanagement?RQ 2: What are the potential benefits of implementing data mining methods for qualitymanagement in Lean Six Sigma companies?RQ 3: How can complex data processing tasks that include free-text analysis be improved?The topics in question were explored by utilizing peer-reviewed literature, which was verifiedby a case study carried out at a Lean Six Sigma industrial equipment manufacturer. The casestudy includes observations and interviews to gain understanding of the case company’soperations within the selected scope. In addition, an experimental solution with the objective ofimproving an inefficient process was developed using data mining methods for free-text analysis,as described in literature. Such methods are commonly referred to as text mining.During the case study, the challenges described in literature related to text mining in general, andwithin the manufacturing industry in particular, were observed and experienced first-hand.Properties such as lack of labelled data samples, imbalanced data sets, insufficient data qualitydue to varying grammar, and the common use of mixed languages make the implementation oftext mining in industrial contexts a challenge (Ittoo, et al., 2016). The achieved results confirmseveral of the challenges described in the reviewed literature. The task of pre-processing data toenable data-driven decision-making at the case company is identified as an inefficient, butnecessary task for extracting useful knowledge from the company’s collected data. In an attemptto identify potential improvements for this particular task, several different experimentalmachine learning models for text classification were developed.While the developed solutions did not show sufficient performance to enable full automation ofthe task, potentially promising solutions were discovered. Particularly the data-driven nature ofthe systematic Lean Six Sigma methodology was observed to be suitable for integrating withdata mining methods for enhanced results (Fahey, et al. 2020; Fahmy, et al. 2017). In addition,reducing non-value adding and cognitively demanding tasks could support in optimizing thecognitive load experienced by knowledge workers and allow for increased performance inquality management activities (Jalani, et al. 2015).

Syftet med studien är att bidra med kunskap om hur ledare i offentlig sektor arbetar med att organisera för lärande i en strävan mot en lärande organisation för att åstadkomma ständig förbättring och innovation.Studien genomfördes utifrån en kvalitativ forskningsdesign. Sex ledare i en kommunal socialtjänst intervjuades utifrån en intervjuguide med semistrukturerade frågor. Analys av data genomfördes med stöd av principer för kvalitativ dataanalys.Slutsatser som framkom i studien är att ledarna synes utöva ett ledarskap som främjar lärande som kan omsättas i förbättring och utveckling. Genom att bygga strukturer och systematisera för lärande organiserar de för en miljö som är gynnsam för lärande. I intervjuerna anades ett större fokus på ett mer utvecklingsorienterat lärande. Metoder och arbetssätt som ledarna använder sig av för att organisera lärande är olika former av grupper. Viktiga förutsättningar för lärande är utrymme för lärande, framförallt tid, samt en tämligen stabil arbetsgrupp. / The purpose of this thesis is to contribute with knowledge on how the leaders in the public sector are working with organizing learning in the strive towards a learning organization to achieve continuous improvement and innovation.The thesis was conducted with a qualitative research design. Six leaders in the municipal social welfare services were interviewed, based on an interview guide with semi-structured questions. The analysis of data was performed, based on principles for qualitative data analysis.The conclusions from this thesis are that leaders seem to exercise a leadership that promote learning, that can be transformed to improvement and development. By building structures and systematize for learning, the leaders organize for an environment that is supportive for learning. From the interviews, it was indicated that the major focus was on development oriented learning. Methods and ways of working used by the leaders to organize learning are different kinds of working groups. Important requirements for learning are sufficient capacity, especially time, and a rather stable working group. / <p>2022-06-05</p>

Syftet med examensarbetet har varit att skapa ett underlag för beslutstagande om åtgärder för att minska risken för stillestånd orsakade av felaktiga reservdelar. Detta har gjorts genom att undersöka orsaker till problemet samt genom att presentera förslag på tillvägagångsätt för att hantera dessa orsaker. Examensarbetet har avgränsats till att bara behandla Made-to-design-reservdelar. Det är reservdelar som tillverkas enligt en ritning som Outokumpu Avesta tillhandahåller leverantören och är därför unika för det studerade företaget. Examensarbetet bestod till stor del av en nulägesanalys som inleddes med en förstudie för att identifiera de huvudsakliga orsakerna till problemet. Rotorsakerna till problemet identifierades sedan med hjälp av en rotorsaksanalys enligt metoden ”fem varför”. I examensarbetet genomfördes även en simulering för att få en uppfattning om problemets omfattning.  Resultaten från examensarbetet visade på tre huvudsakliga orsaker till att reservdelar i förrådet varit felaktiga: Ritningen som Outokumpu Avesta tillhandahåller leverantören stämmer inte överens med specifikationerna reservdelen ska ha. Reservdelen blir feltillverkad av leverantören trots att rätt ritning har tillhandahållits. Leverantörer av MTD-reservdelar utvärderas inte med avseende på kvalitet i den utsträckning de borde samt valet av leverantör sker inte med hänsyn till total ägandekostnad. En föreslagen åtgärd är att Outokumpu Avesta inför en mottagningskontroll av MTD-reservdelar, vilket bedöms kunna möjliggöra en bättre utvärdering av leverantörerna, ny leverantörsklassificering samt möjlighet att ta hänsyn till total ägandekostnad. Vidare visade resultaten från examensarbetet ett behov av att tillvarata leverantörens frågor om ritningsotydligheter. Detta kan relateras till ett förslag om framtida undersökningar; hur Outokumpu Avesta skulle kunna jobba för att i större utsträckning få leverantörer att ställa frågor vid ritningsotydligheter. En del av examensarbetet var att rangordna de lösningar som föreslogs och det gjordes bland annat med ett matrisdiagram, vilket är ett av de sju ledningsverktygen.

Denna kandidatrapport behandlar ett arbete resulterande i en ökning av hållfastheten hos en skidbalk ingående i bandvagnen BvS10. Projektet har utförts på uppdrag av BAE Systems Hägglunds under deras SIRIUS-samarbete med Luleå tekniska universitet. Inom SIRIUS har många utvecklingsprojekt startats, varav ett är E-TED dit det här arbetet hör. Balken har tappat avsevärd hållfasthet då hål utformats i dess yttre sida för att rymma komponenter. Detta har gjorts av anledningar utvecklade inom E-TED. Syftet var därför att utveckla en konceptuell och användbarskidbalk för bandvagnen med målsättningen att erhålla en lika bra eller bättre hållfasthet relativt ursprungsbalken. För att nå målet itererades arbetet mellan finita elementmetoden (FEM) och computer-aided design (CAD) i programmen CATIA V5, ANSA, ABAQUS och META för utveckling av koncept. Itereringen resulterade i två konceptbalkar, varav den sista var fördelaktigast. CATIA brukades för CAD och de resterande programmen brukades respektive som förbehandlare, problemlösare och efterbehandlare för FEM. Av dessa tre utfördes de två första med hjälp av beräkningsavdelningen på BAE Systems Hägglunds och det sista utfördes av författarna. Ursprungs- och konceptbalkarna testades med fem lastfall motsvarande de extremaste förhållanden som uppmätts vid körning av bandvagnen. Förstärkningarna implementerades därefter baserad på teori gällande böj- och vridmotstånd för homogena balkars kvadratiska- och rektangulära tvärsnitt. Spänningsanalys av den slutgiltiga konceptbalken uppvisade effektivspänningar överskridande materialets sträckgräns för tre av lastfallen. För de två mest problematiska av dessa tre fall utformades en analys av kvarvarande plastisk töjning respektive deformation. Detta påvisade att kvarvarande plastisk töjning respektive deformation var i samma storleksordning som vid tidigare undersökningar av idag driftsatta skidbalkar. Alltså drogs slutsatsen att det är möjligt att skapa en SIRIUS-skidbalk med minst lika bra hållfasthet som ursprungsbalken samt att slutgiltiga konceptbalken, ur ett hållfasthetsperspektiv, är redo för användning. / This bachelor report covers a work resulting in an increased strength of a skid girder located on the tracked vehicle BvS10. The project was performed on behalf of BAE Systems Hägglunds under their SIRIUS-collaboration with Luleå University of Technology. Many development projects have been started within SIRIUS, one of these is E-TED where this work belongs. The skid girder has lost considerable strength due to the implementation of holes in its outer side to make room for components. This has been done due to reasons developed within E-TED. The purpose of this project was therefore to develop a conceptual and useable skid girder with the goal to increase the strength to equal or higher levels relative to the original skid girder. To achieve the goal the work iterated between finite element method (FEM) and computer-aided design (CAD) in the software’s CATIA V5, ANSA, ABAQUS and META to develop the concepts. The iteration resulted in two conceptual skid girders of which the last was found more favorable than the other. CATIA was utilized for CAD and the remaining programs were respectively used as pre-processor, solver and post-processor for FEM. The first two of these three were executed with helpfrom the calculations department at BAE Systems Hägglunds and the last one was performed bythe authors. The original and conceptual beams’ were tested with five load cases corresponding to the most extreme conditions measured while driving the tracked vehicle. Reinforcements were thereafter implemented based on theory regarding bending and torsion resistance of homogenous beams’ with squared and rectangular cross-sections. The stress analysis of the final conceptual skid girder demonstrated von Mises stresses exceeding the material’s yield point for three of the load cases. An analysis of remaining plastic strain and deformation were designed for the two most problematic of these three cases. This showed that the remaining plastic strain and deformation were on the same order of magnitude as thoseo btained in previous investigations of operating skid girders today. Thus the conclusion was drawn that it is possible to create a SIRIUS skid girder with equal or better strength than the original skidgirder and that the final conceptual skid girder, from a perspective of strength, is ready foroperation. / SIRIUS