The aim of the thesis is improvement of the recruitment process for the position of welder in a particular company so that the plan to hire 45 new welders would be filled until the end of 2015. As part of the process another opportunity to improve was found and defined. This secondary issue is high fluctuation of welders. Secondary targets of the thesis include mapping, measuring and analysis of the current state of new workers recruitment and also positive motivation of current welders, which create the basis for proposed changes that were later implemented. In the last step the impacts of these changes are controlled and summed up. The whole process follows the DMAIC method steps. During the real project solution tools like Lean management, SIPOC, Flowchart and Ishikawa diagram, first pass yield, A3 report and Benchmarking were used. Above mentioned methodological tools are all described in the practical part of the thesis. In conclusion, it was found out that suggested and implemented amendments improved the recruitment process by 12 percentage points. Fluctuation, the second drawback, is however not possible to measure yet as the impact of the changes will be expected to show within 1 year. Although there was a significant improvement of the whole processes, the plan was not met up to the last day in October 2015. Out of the 45 planned positions, 37 welders in total were casted.

The aim of this thesis is to apply the lean management tools at Marketing department of the selected company, specifically at the proces of invoice approval and using this data check the hypothesis from stated sources. Theoretical part of this thesis contains the description of Lean management tools along with it's history and tools, followed by the description of the selected firm, where the lean projects done by the author of this thesis took place. Application part of this thesis contains the complete DMAIC cycle of the project dealing with analysis of invoice approval. Overall, the proces was shortened from 21 operations and 68 hours 11 minutes, to 12 operations and 50 hours 59 minutes a 40 seconds. Application part also comprises of analysis of excessive approval limit for invoices. Final part is dealing with application of the hypothesis on the concrete case of selected firm, meaning that implementation of Lean management will help improve the company financial indicators through NFMP.

The aim of thesis is implemention the chosen techniques of lean management in the company named European Trailer Systems Ltd. based on the identification of bottlenecks. The theoretical part provides basic definitions of bottleneck, Theory of Constraints, Lean management and selected methods of lean management. The practical part begins with the company's European Trailer Systems s.r.o characteristic while describe the current situation. Furthermore, the practical part will focus on the identification of bottlenecks that occur in company European Trailer Systems Ltd. in the production process of sliding roofs, will be followed by a proposal to eliminate found bottlenecks with using methods of lean management and possibly their implementation.

This thesis work has been written both for and in co-operation with the company IAC Group Gothenburg. The main purpose of the report is to find a new alternative material replenishment system which will improve the internal material flow and eliminate unnecessary work activities such as manual call offs. The aim is to find a new system to reduce the incidental costs incurred and improve customer service in quality and performance. Observations and interviews were conducted and an analysis of the current situation was made. Waste was identified in the form of unnecessary transport, specifically in milk runs, where time was spent looking for materials to be loaded. This creates uncertainty and may contribute to increased costs and poor customer service. Three different options for a new replenishment system were developed which were compared with the theory and present situation. The proposal was evaluated with respect to cost, available support, complexity and future compatibility. The analysis of the theory and current state shows the importance of a long-term solution with few risks of waste. The solution that best cope with this is an e-Kanban system that automates the replenishment system and would make manual material call offs disappear completely. The conclusion is that an e-Kanban system is the best long term option for a manufacturing company like IAC because it is highly adaptable to change, and can be integrated in the company’s ERP system. The recommendation is to implement a new e-Kanban system. First, it should be tested on a pilot station and then introduced to the whole production process.

My master's thesis consists of 2 main parts. In the theoretical part, I describe the most essential methods of Lean Management. I focus on the development of Just in Time, Kaizen and Jidoka in the Toyota factories, followed by an overview of other methods mainly TPM, 5S, TOC, Poka Yoke, SMED and quality management. In the end of the theoretical part, I analyze the impact of lean management on the financial indicators of a company. In the practical part, I analyze the management of processes in Harsco Metals Slovensko. I examine the efficiency of establishing lean management in the company and focus on the processes where I believe the above mentioned methods could be implemented.

Rapporten utgår ifrån en fallstudie som utfördes på ett företag, Jensen Sweden AB, där syftet var att jämföra batchtillverkning med enstycksflöde genom att studera ett specifiktproduktionsflöde i processen. Materialflödet och materialförsörjningens påverkan på processen ingick också i studien. Företaget hade brist på kunskap om vilken produktionsstrategi av batchtillverkning och enstycksflöde som skulle vara mest effektiv för en specifik station. Det önskade resultatet av studien från Jensen Sweden AB var att komma fram till vilken produktionsstrategi som skulleöka produktionsflödet mest. I dagsläget arbetar den specifika stationen efter batchtillverkning. Studierna genomfördes genom att studera tillverkningen i dagsläget samt att upprätta ett undantag för tillverkning enligt ett enstycksflöde så att detta kunde studeras. För utföra studien utfördes klockstudier där båda produktionsstrategierna granskades för att sedan jämföras. Utöver det utfördes enmaterialflödesanalys genom att rita ett spagettidiagram i syfte att kartlägga materialflödet. För att lyckas med ett enstycksflöde krävs förutsättningar som standarder, takttid och pullsystem. Enstycksflöde är en del i strategierna just in time och lean management. Eftersom att företaget i dag inte hade alla förutsättningar var ett enstycksflöde inget alternativ. Däremot använder företaget pull production vilket hade underlättat övergången till ett enstycksflöde och en implementering av lean management. En av slutsatserna som presenteras i rapporten är att företaget ska fortsätta med batchtillverkning då förutsättningarna för ett enstycksflöde saknades. En annan slutsats och en rekommenation är att implementera materialförsörjningsmetoder som kitting eller kontinuerlig försörjning för att underlätta för operatören som arbetar vid stationen. / The report was based on a case study performed at a company, Jensen Sweden AB, where the purpose was to compare batch production with one-piece flow by studying a specific production flow in the process. The impact of material flow and material supply on the process are also included in the study. An uncertainty that existed on the company was the lack of knowledge about which production strategy of batch production and single-piece flow would be most effective for a specific station. The desired result of the study from Jensen Sweden AB was to identify which production strategy would most increase the flow of production. Currently, the specific station operates after batch production. The studies were performed by studying how the manufacturing is today and establishing an exception for manufacturing according to a one-piece flow to make the studies possible. To go through with the study, clock studies were conducted where both production strategies were reviewed and then compared. In addition, a material flow analysis was performed by drawing a spaghetti diagram for mapping the material flow. In order to succeed in a one-piece flow, conditions such as standards, tact time and pull systems are required. A one-piece flow also includes just-in-time and lean management strategies. Because the company did not have all these conditions today, a one-piece flow was no alternative. On the other hand, the company uses pull production which would facilitate the transition to a one-piece flow and an implementation of lean management. One of the conclusions presented in the report was that the company would continue with batch production since the requirements for a one-piece flow are missing. Another conclusion was to implement material supply methods such as kitting or continuous supply to facilitate for the operator working at the station.

Företaget som arbetet utförs hos är aktiva inom tryckeribranschen och ligger i västra götalandsregionen. Företaget grundades 1908 och finns representerade i ett 20-tal länder på fyra kontinenter. Koncernen har cirka 6500 anställda och de viktigaste marknaderna är Kina, Singapore, Sverige, Storbritannien, USA och Tyskland. Branscherna de största kunderna är verksamma inom är Industrial och Health Care & Life Science, Fashion & Lifestyle, Electronics och Automotive. Företaget är en global leverantör och erbjuder integrerade lösningar inom supply chain management som är en växande marknad som företaget ser stor potential i, Print & packaging. Arbetet handlar om hur värdeflödeskartläggning som leanverktyg kan appliceras i tryckeribranschen för att belysa värde och icke värdeskapande aktiviteter. Syftet med arbetet är att med hjälp av lean-metoder, visualisera ett processflöde för att på så sätt identifiera flaskhalsar samt värdeskapande och icke-värdeskapande aktiviteter.  Detta ska ge en ökad inblick kring hur lean-filosofin kan appliceras i verkligheten, för att uppmuntra framtida förbättringsarbeten. Problemformuleringen till arbetet uppkom genom att företaget avser att flytta produktionen till Viared i Borås, företaget vet att det existerar slöserier inom produktionen och behöver därför hjälp med att identifiera dessa.  Målet med att identifiera dessa är för att lära sig av befintliga slöserier och att se till att de i så stor utsträckning som möjligt inte återkommer i den nya produktionsanläggningen. Forskningsfrågorna som ställts och besvarats i arbetet är hur produktionen påverkas av de flaskhalsar som finns samt varför uppstår flaskhalsarna där de gör. Arbetet har avgränsats till analys av station hiss samt kittning. Arbetet resulterade till att flaskhalsar och slöserier identifierades samt att två förbättringsförslag rekommenderades till företaget. Resultatet av analysen och förslagen i detta arbete kommer inte att representera andra företag som är verksamma inom tryckeribranschen generellt, då detta arbete följt och analyserat ett specifikt produktflöde, dock går metodiken och logiken i arbetet att tillämpas generellt. Viktigt att poängtera är att detta arbete analyserat en del av produktionen under en period samt att vidare arbete och mer tid krävs för att fler produkter skall kartläggas i produktionen. ! / The company that this project is practiced at, belongs in the printing industry and is based in västra götalandsregionen. The company was founded in 1908 and is represented in 20 countries in four continents. The corporate group has around 600 employees, and the most important markets are China, Singapore, Sweden, Great britain, United states and Germany.  Industries where the biggest customers are active in are Industrial and Health Care & Life Science, Fashion & Lifestyle, Electronics and Automotive. The company is a global supplier and offers integrated solutions within supply chain management, where the company sees a big opportunity for market growth, and big potentials in for example Print & packaging.  This projects main focus is to use value stream mapping as a lean tool, and see how it can apply to the printing industry to visualize a product flow. The mission is to identify bottlenecks in the chosen parts of the production and identify value and non-value adding activities. The research questions to this project was created based on the face that the company has decided to move into a new production facility and that they knew that it existed waste in the production. The purpose from the company's side with this project was to raise awareness to waste and learn from this project to minimize or if possible eliminate identified waste in the new facility.  The result of this project was identified bottleneck in the chosen area of the production, station hiss and kitting. Reason to why the bottleneck occurred in the station is also analyzed and discussed in a theoretical way, supported by scientific literature.  Two types of suggestions are also recommended as a result of the conclusion of this work.  One very important claim of this thesis work, is that only one fraction of the total product flow are visualized in this report, this mean that to visualize the whole product flow further research, time and mapping has to be done. Regarding the result of this paper, the result may not in the biggest probability represent how other companies in the same industry would have their result after embracing this thesis and its logic, to implement these within their own.

Antal företag i Sverige har ständigt ökat under de senaste åren vilket leder till större konkurrens och dessutom ökning av kundkraven. Många företag väljer idag att implementera Lean, detta med tanken på att vara mer effektiva och konkurrenskraftiga. Lean definieras som en verksamhetsstrategi med huvudsyfte att effektivisera processer, minimera slöserier och kontinuerligt förbättra verksamheten.   Syfte med denna studie är att analysera möjligheterna med att använda Lean inom projektverksamheten med utgångspunkt i olika typer av slöserier och stödjande aspekter.  Arbetet utfördes hos företaget prgsweden och är avgränsad till att undersöka ett specifik projekt inom företaget. Studien genomfördes genom nulägesanalys av ett specifikt projekt samt observationer och intervjuer med huvudparter inom projektet. Studiens frågeställningar syftar till att identifiera vilka slöserier finns inom projektet, samt förbättringsåtgärder för dessa.   De resultat som studien gett upphov till är att de vanligast förekommande slöseriet inom projekt är omarbete, väntan, rörelse och transporter. Projektverksamheten har behov av att använda Lean till att bland annat; standardisera, eliminera väntetider, eliminera onödiga rörelse samt skapa tydliga arbetsbeskrivningar och rutiner. Enligt den insamlade empirin och teorin, är bland annat standardisering av projektverksamheten samt standardisering av verktyg och arbetssättet grunden till hela effektivisering. Med hjälp av 5S-metoden samt veckomöte kan extern kommunikation bli bättre, onödiga rörelse på arbetsplatsen kan minimeras och återbesök på arbetsplatsen minskas. / The number of companies in Sweden has continually increased in recent years, leading to greater competition and an increase in customer requirements. Many companies today choose to implement Lean, this with the idea of being more efficient and competitive.  The purpose of the report is to analyze possibilities of using Lean in project, based on various types of waste and other supportive aspects. The work was performed at the company prgsweden and is limited to investigating a specific project within the company. The study was conducted through analysis of the present situation as well as observations and interviews with main partners within the project. The study's questions were aimed at identifying which waste are present within the project, as well as improvement measures for these.  The results of the study are that the most common waste in projects are rework, waiting, movement and transport. The project business needs to use Lean to; standardize, eliminate waiting times, eliminate unnecessary movements as well as create clear jon descriptions and routines.  According to the collected empirin and theory, standardization of project proficiency as well as standardization of tools and workplaces are the basis for full optimization. With the help of the 5S method and weekly meeting, external communication can be improved, unnecessary workplace movement can be minimized and revisits on the workplace reduced.

L'objectif de cette thèse est de proposer des résultats de recherche nouveaux sur la manière dont certaines pratiques managériales s'articulent avec des formes de Systèmes d'Information (formels et informels) spécifiques. Dans cette perspective, nous avons choisi d'observer les pratiques managériales et les usages SI d'entreprises ayant décidé de s'engager dans la voie du lean management. Grâce à ces observations et au recours à la modélisation, nous identifions d'abord les déterminants du choix de l'installation d'un Outil de Reporting Structuré (ORS) dans les entreprises qui pratiquent l'Amélioration Continue de leurs processus de production. Nous évaluons ensuite, sur un plan théorique, la durée optimale des réunions d'équipe dont le but est de faire remonter les suggestions d'amélioration des processus de production de l'entreprise. Enfin, nous caractérisons les situations où les Outils de Prévision de la Demande (OPD) se substituent aux pratiques de réduction de stocks.

Purpose - The purpose of this study is to explore the impact that implementing lean has on a company’s ability to innovate, especially their ability to produce radically innovative products.   Framework – The framework developed for the purpose of this study is made out of four propositions. Each of the propositions is aimed at covering a certain aspect of the area under investigation. The propositions are constructed through a comparison of the main principles and characteristics of both lean thinking and innovation management that are seen to be relevant to the area of product development.   Methodology – The study employs a qualitative multi-case study design. Four Swedish SME’s that have been implementing lean in both manufacturing and product development are investigated. The data for the study is collected using two methods; an online questionnaire and a face-to-face interview.   Findings - The study leads to the belief that the implementation of lean could lead to a company’s ability to produce radically innovative products being negatively impacted, but that this impact could be avoided if a company wishes to do so.   Managerial Implications – Managers are made aware of the possible consequences of the implementation, as well as, of the possible balance. Solutions to achieving a balance are offered.   Limitations – The approach to exploring the subject in hand, the choice of participating companies, and the interview guide employed, are all seen as limitation for this study.