Today, airports form a key part of global infrastructure in an increasingly globalised world. There is great competition between them to attract passengers and serve airlines in their role of transporting people regionally and internationally. Abu Dhabi International Airport is one such airport. Terminal 3 is the home of Abu Dhabi’s major carrier, Etihad Airways, one of the world’s fastest-growing international airlines. The research described in this thesis focuses on applying the Lean methodology to the passenger departure process in Terminal 3. The essential essence of ‘Lean’ is doing more with fewer resources by adopting a programme of continuous process improvement resulting in continually declining costs, mistakes and work-in-progress. The special environment of any airport, especially a major international hub made applying Lean principles difficult. This resulted from the large presence of Class I wastes or muda which could potentially change, perhaps dramatically, at short notice. This made this research significantly different from previous applications of Lean philosophy. Also, large, cumulative variations in demand set in an environment where rapid expansion of the airport is taking place also created major difficulties because of the shifting flow of passengers. Despite this, the research succeeded in achieving its aim and developed various rules from parameters based on the acronym SERVICE and an associated implementation methodology based on the Lean philosophy. Together these will help airline managers and staff to eliminate the waste of available resources and so increase passenger flow through various stages of the process in line with Lean philosophy. The research makes several important contributions to knowledge, especially in the field of Lean improvements. The contribution of this work arises from its systematic examination of the passenger departure process. The research has facilitated developing a detailed model which addresses both particular process groups and the effects of passenger class on the allocation and use of resources. This research has shown that large differences exist between the operating environment of a major international airport and those processes to which Lean principles have previously been applied. Nevertheless, despite these differences, this research has proved the Lean philosophy may be usefully applied to airport operations. Operating conditions within the passenger departure process mean that understanding the special operating environment of airports is vital. This research resulted in a discrete event simulation model of the airport much more accurate and detailed than those described in previous studies of passenger departure processes. The research then proved an improved model, which may be used experimentally to support conclusions reached from the broader application of Lean philosophy. The research observed and analysed the effects of large and cumulative peaks and troughs in demand against a background of rapid development of Abu Dhabi Airport. The researcher also evaluated the special internal and external effects on the processes, often at short notice. Consequently, there is no single ‘universal’ solution because of the major need for operational flexibility and for a close correlation between operational and strategic need. Despite these many difficulties the results of this research are a practical and straightforward series of improvements, which may be applied by airport staff themselves without need for complex computer models, simulation or dedicated experts. This will create conditions for continuously improving process performance during the passenger departure process. It will also help managers accurately identify critical areas where more radical action of increasing physical resources is needed. Finally, based on findings, the research makes several recommendations for further work.

Date: 4th of June 2023 Level: Master thesis within Industrial Engineering and Management, Product and Process development – 30 credits. Institution: School of Innovation, Design, and Engineering at Mälardalen’s University Author: Nadia Al-Hakim Title: Lean in the Swedish Armed Forces Keywords: Lean Philosophy; Lean Thinking; Military logistics; JIT Research Question: What are the potential enablers and barriers to adapting the Lean philosophy in military logistics operations? Purpose: This study aims to investigate the potential challenges of implementing the Lean philosophy in the Swedish Armed Forces’ logistics. Methodology: The study was conducted through an abductive research approach using qualitative methods. A theoretical framework was developed by reviewing extant research within the research scope. The empirical findings were based on semi-structured interviews held with six respondents from the Swedish Armed Forces with different positions in logistics. Finally, the empirical findings were analyzed using a conceptual framework that helps the understanding of the different organizational aspects of Lean. Conclusion: This study aimed to explore the challenges of implementing Lean philosophy in the logistics of the Swedish Armed Forces. Identified barriers include the lack of long-term thinking, incoherent definitions of the end-user and quality, high inventory dependence, confidentiality constraints, and procurement regulations. However, some of the identified enablers include the Armed Forces' use of JIT concepts, focus on safety, and strategic partnerships with certain suppliers. / Datum: 4 juni 2023 Nivå: Examensarbete på Mastersnivå inom civilingenjörsprogrammet i industriell ekonomi, produkt- och processutveckling –30 högskolepoäng. Institution: Akademin för Innovation, Design, och Teknik (IDT) vid Mälardalens universitet Författare: Nadia Al-Hakim Titel: Lean inom Försvarsmakten Nyckelord: Lean; Försvarslogistik; JIT Frågeställning: Vilka är de potentiella möjliggörande och hindrande faktorerna för att implementera Lean filosofin i militära logistikoperationer? Syfte: Studien ämnar till att undersöka de potentiella utmaningarna med att implementera Lean-filosofin i den Svenska Försvarsmaktens logistiska verksamhet. Metod: Studien genomfördes genom en abduktiv forskningsansats med kvalitativa metoder. Det teoretiska ramverket utvecklades genom att granska befintlig forskning inom forskningsområdet. De empiriska resultaten baserades på semistrukturerade intervjuer med sex respondenter från Försvarsmakten med olika befattningar inom försvarslogistiken. Slutligen analyserades det empiriska underlaget med hjälp av ett konceptuellt ramverk som förenklar förståelsen av de olika organisatoriska aspekterna i Lean. Slutsats: Studien syftade till att utforska utmaningarna med att implementera Lean i svenska försvarslogistiken. De identifierade utmaningarna innefattade bland annat bristen på långsiktigt tänkande, varierade definitioner av slutanvändare och kvalitet, lagerberoende, sekretessnivå, och lagar om upphandling. Ett antal främjande faktorer har också identifierats, bland annat Försvarsmaktens användning av JIT-system, fokus på säkerhet och strategiska partnerskap med vissa leverantörer.

Aldrig förr har vi konsumerat så mycket som nu och konsumenterna ställer hela tiden krav på högre kvalitet till lägre pris, samtidigt som kostnader för arbetskraft, energi och material ständigt ökar. För att bemöta kundernas behov används olika produktionssystem. Lean production är ett sådant produktionssystem och inkluderar en mängd uppsättning praktiska verktyg, men också en filosofi byggd på engagemang, kunskap, team-känsla och ledarskap. Lean är något många företag eftersträvar att införa, men studier visar att mindre än 20% lyckas att införa hela Leans koncept. Det är främst de mjuka delarna av Lean (filosofin) som företagen har svårast att implementera, vilket innebär att Lean i många fall reduceras till en verktygslåda. I denna studie har Lean-implementationen på ett fallföretag studerats. Fallföretaget införde Lean i samband med ”Produktionslyftet” år 2007 i syfte att effektivisera processer och bemöta hårdnande konkurrens. Ett antal intervjuer har genomförts med både produktions-personal och personer i ledande befattning. För att synliggöra individens roll i införandet och anammandet av Lean har en ny undersökningsmodell tagits fram för att analysera empirin och som utgår från ramverket för teknik, organisation och miljö, TOE, men där influensen av miljö har ersatts av influensen av individ, TOI. Den teoretiska undersöknings-modellen är undersökarens bidrag till forskningen. Resultatet av studien visar på att fallföretaget är ett klassiskt exempel på ett företag som lyckats väl med att införa de tekniska verktygen av Lean och att verksamheten fungerar mycket bättre idag än före införandet av Lean. Fallföretaget har ökat leveranssäkerheten och omsättningen men samtidigt minskat på produktionsytan och producerar ändå mer på samma tid. Däremot har fallföretaget inte lika tydligt implementerat de mjuka beståndsdelarna av Lean, det vill säga själva filosofin. Undersökningsmodellen TOI lyfter här fram verksamhetens karaktär, en hierarkisk och toppstyrd organisation, som en möjlig faktor till varför de mjuka beståndsdelarna inte har fått fäste. Modellen visar även att individen inte integrerar och samspelar med de influenser som borde skapa Lean. Samspelet mellan individ och ledning (organisation) ses som väsentliga för att uppnå de mjuka beståndsdelarna. För att få Leans hela koncept måste det finnas ett samspel och förbindelse mellan TOI modellens tre influenser; teknik, organisation och individ. Alla delarna är lika viktiga för att hela Lean ska få fäste. Detta är en möjlig anledning till varför det är mindre än 20% av Lean-projekteten som misslyckas med att implementera Leans hela koncept. / Never before have we consumed as much as now and customers are constantly demanding higher quality at a lower price, while at the same time costs are increasing for labour, energy and materials. Different production systems are used to meet customer needs. Lean production is such a production system and includes a variety of practical tools but also a philosophy based on commitment, knowledge, team spirit and leadership. Lean is something many companies strive to introduce, but studies shows that less than 20% succeed in introducing the entire Lean concept. It’s mainly the soft parts of Lean (the philosophy) that companies have most difficulty to implement, which means that in many cases Lean is reduced to a toolbox. This study is about the Lean implementation in a case company. The case company introduced Lean through its participation in the "Produktionslyftet" in 2007 with the aim of streamlining processes and responding to toughening competition. A number of interviews have been carried out with both production staff and senior executives. In order to highlight the individual's role in the introduction and adoption of Lean, a research model has been developed to analyse the empirical data, which is based on the framework for technology, organization and environment, TOE, but where the influence of environment has been replaced by the influence of the individual, TOI. The theoretical survey model is the investigator's contribution to the science. The result of the study shows that the case company is a classic example of a company that has succeeded well in introducing the technical tools of Lean and that the operation works much better today than before the introduction of Lean. The case company has increased the delivery reliability and sales but at the same time decreased the production area and still produces more at the same time allotted. However, the case company has not as clearly implemented the soft elements of Lean, that is, the philosophy itself. The survey model TOI highlights the nature of the business, a hierarchical and top-down organization, as a possible factor why the soft components have not been attached. The model also shows that the individual does not integrate and interact with the influences that should create Lean. The interaction between individual and management (organization) are seen as essential for achieving the soft components. In order to get the whole concept of Lean, there must be an interaction and connection between the three influences of the TOI model; technology, organization and individual. All parts are equally important for the whole of Lean to get attached. This is a possible reason why there are less than 20% of Lean projects that fail to implement the entire Lean concept.

Stoneridge, Inc. is an independent designer and manufacturer of highly engineered electrical and electronic components, modules and systems principally for the automotive, commercial vehicle, motorcycle, agricultural and off-highway vehicle markets. A subsidiary of Stoneridge, Inc. is the company Stoneridge Electronics. They specialise in instrument clusters and tachographs which are manufactured in high quantityin their production plant in Örebro, Sweden. This master thesis focuses on the production line of an instrument cluster called Angela. In close collaboration with Stoneridge Electronics, the goal was to find ways to improve the output of the Angela line by at least 10% compared to the three best months in terms of output from the year before. The Angela line was analyzed thoroughly and from different perspectives using lean tools such as value stream mapping, spaghetti diagram and continuous improvement. Finally, the simulation software ExtendSim was used in order to simulate and analyse different suggestions. The results show that various steps can be taken to improve the efficiency and output of the manufacturing line by as much as 16.3%. Due to the fact that other production lines within the production are similar to the one that the project was carried out on, the project results could be applicable for the other lines as well. / Stoneridge, Inc. är en oberoende designer och tillverkare av högteknologiska elektriska och elektroniska komponenter, moduler och system huvudsakligen för fordonsmarknaderna. Ett dotterbolag till Stoneridge, Inc. är företaget Stoneridge Electronics. De är specialiserade på instrument kluster och färdskrivare som tillverkas i produktionsanläggning i Örebro. Denna examensarbete fokuserar på produktionslinje av ett instrumentkluster som heter Angela. I nära samarbete med Stoneridge Electronics,målet var att hitta sätt att förbättra produktionen av Angela linje med minst 10 % jämförtmed de tre bästa månaderna när det gäller produktion från året innan. Angela-linjen analyserades grundligt och från olika perspektiv med lean verktyg som värdeflödesanalys, spaghetti diagram och kontinuerlig förbättring. Slutligen användes simuleringsprogrammet ExtendSim för att simulera och analysera olika förslag. Resultaten visar att olika steg kan vidtas för att förbättra effektiviteten och produktionen av produktionslinjen med så mycket som 16.3%. På grund av att andra produktionslinjer inom produktionen liknar den som projektet genomfördes på, kan projektresultaten vara tillämpliga för andra linjer också.

Las empresas a lo largo de la historia han visto el desarrollo por el que ha trascendido el mercado a nivel mundial, el cual se ha vuelto más competitivo, con respecto a la demanda de productos de buena calidad y a precios razonables, de lo que era hace algunos años. Es por ello que las empresas buscan mejorar año tras año y ven en la implementación de las prácticas de gestión Lean una buena alternativa para lograrlo. La filosofía Lean se enfoca en la reducción de desechos y la mejora de la productividad mediante la aplicación de diversas herramientas. Sin embargo, existen estudios que presentan argumentos que ponen en duda la posibilidad de que la aplicación Lean sea efectiva. El objetivo del presente estudio es evaluar si las técnicas Lean pueden ayudar o no a mejorar la competitividad y productividad en las organizaciones, a través de una investigación bibliográfica. El estudio destaca que la implementación de Lean ayuda a mejorar la productividad, calidad, rentabilidad, pero también existe la disyuntiva que la aplicación tiene poca efectividad a corto plazo. Finalmente, para lograr resultados positivos es necesario que los trabajadores y la alta dirección se encuentren comprometidos con la aplicación de la filosofía Lean en la gestión de empresas. / Companies throughout history have seen the market development which has transcended worldwide and that has become more competitive, with respect to the demand of high-quality products and reasonable prices, than it was some years ago. That's why companies want to improve year after year, and they see in the implementation of Lean management practices a good alternative to achieve this. The Lean philosophy focuses on reducing waste and improving productivity through the application of different tools. However, there are studies that present arguments that questioned the possibility that the Lean application is effective. The objective of this study is to evaluate if Lean techniques can help to improve competitiveness and productivity in organizations through a bibliographic research. The study highlights that the implementation of Lean helps to improve productivity, quality, profitability, but there is also the dilemma that the application has short - term effectiveness. Finally, to achieve positive results, it's necessary that workers and senior management are committed with the application of Lean philosophy in business management / Trabajo de Suficiencia Profesional

Manufacturing companies throughout the world are interested in reducing the time between a customer placing an order and them receiving the payment for that order. This premise is something that is a central characteristic for the Lean philosophy, and is one of the reasons to apply it. Today manufacturers around the world are embracing Lean techniques in order to reduce waste and increase productivity, and also increase the inventory turns, which reflects in an improvement of cash flow for the company. Nowadays, with all the financial turmoil, every company is looking forward to reduce the inventories, to work with Just in Time supply chains, to develop production systems that reduce the scrap and produce only what is needed, saving space, and freeing up time to work on new design and be at the edge of innovation in order to gain market share and keep improving. This master thesis is focused on implementing the Lean principles in a pillow production line, in order to achieve it, a series of techniques to assess the facility where implemented, which allowed to understand how the facility was working, where is the bottleneck, and to understand the function of it as a system, avoiding to focus on a single point but viewing it as a whole, where each part contributes in a specific and unique way, but where all of them are necessary. Applying Lean principles is a daunting task that takes a long time, a never ending trial and error process, because of this the goal of this study is to develop the bases for a Lean transformation, a schedule for the implementation will be developed and proposed to the company, after analyzing the facility. The study reveals that it is possible to reduce the lead-time of the facility in 60%, and avoid the backorders situation that is present in the company, improving also the service level.

Railway is a complex system, with many components that are linked with one another. If a failure occurs in a sub-system, it can affect the functionality and the safety of the whole. Signalling represents a crucial component of the railway system because it ensures safety, and it can optimize capacity on the lines. In Europe, private companies control the development and the implementation of new signalling equipment in the railway lines. However, system development processes must satisfy the European standards and the client requirements, which limit the possibility to apply changes in the generic system development process and it leads to employ the same processes in each project, without removing redundant steps and tailoring to the project needs. Recently, Alstom Rail Sweden AB performed the implementation of new signalling system in Älvsjö depot, overcoming several wastes in the process. In this Master Thesis, Älvsjö depot project is compared with a standard project, performed according to the usual procedure used in Alstom projects. The parameters compared are the resource allocation and the days of delay. The results from the data have revealed that projects can benefit through the adoption of the Lean philosophy principles: reduction of waste, increased flexibility, and standardization without eliminating the Stage Gate process in their projects. / Järnvägen är ett komplext system med många komponenter som är kopplade till varandra. Om ett fel uppstår i ett delsystem kan det påverka hela systemets funktionalitet och säkerhet. Signalering utgör en avgörande komponent i järnvägssystemet eftersom den garanterar säkerheten och kan optimera kapaciteten på linjerna. I Europa kontrollerar privata företag utvecklingen och implementeringen av ny signalutrustning på järnvägslinjerna. Systemutvecklingsprocesserna måste dock uppfylla de europeiska standarderna och kundkraven, vilket begränsar möjligheten att tillämpa förändringar i den generiska systemutvecklingsprocessen och leder till att samma processer används i varje projekt, utan att ta bort överflödiga steg och skräddarsy efter projektbehoven. Nyligen genomförde Alstom Rail Sweden AB implementeringen av ett nytt signalsystem i Älvsjö depå och övervann flera slöserier i processen. I detta examensarbete jämförs Älvsjödepåns projekt med ett standardprojekt, utfört enligt det vanliga förfarandet som används i Alstoms projekt. De parametrar som jämförs är resursfördelningen och antalet förseningsdagar. Resultaten från datan har visat att projekt kan dra nytta av att anta Lean-filosofins principer: minskning av slöseri, ökad flexibilitet och standardisering utan att eliminera Stage Gate-processen i sina projekt.