To remain competitive in today’s business environment, companies must continuously become more efficient and improve their business. This can be achieved through developing and streamlining a company's Supply Chain.   Bombardier Rail Control Solutions (RCS) has grown mainly through acquisitions, however, the acquisitions have not been integrated in a good way into their existing Supply Chain. This has result in a decentralized Supply Chain where RCS’s different sites are using different ERP systems. The consequence of this has led to an increased manual workload, a lack of visibility between sites and an inefficient Supply Chain.   The goal of this project has been to identify how Bombardier RCS can develop and streamline its Supply Chain by centralizing different parts of it, e.g. ERP systems and different processes. To achieve this, there has been a close collaboration with Bombardier through the project through interviews, meetings, discussions together with studying literature. In addition, presentations have been presented continuously to ensure that the results have followed Bombardier RCS’s goal. RCS’s historical data has also been analyzed.   Based on the above-mentioned methods, several problems have been solved and improvement areas have been identified. Issues that have been solved include centralizing master data and how to centralize processes at Bombardier RCS. Improvement areas include the benefits of centralizing Bombardier RCS Supply Chain and the advantages with a central warehouse. Bombardier RCS should also centralize their entire ERP system to enable global MRP calculations and so on. Furthermore, it has been identified that there is an improvement potential regarding Bombardier RCS's delivery performance, which can be solved by either integrating RCS’s Supply Chain or/and through keeping products on stock.   The conclusion is that Bombardier RCS should centralize their Supply Chain step by step since it is impossible to centralize everything at once. By centralizing the Supply Chain, this can reduce manual workload, create visibility between different sites, contribute to a better delivery performance and streamline the Supply Chain. By doing this, Bombardier RCS can get more competitive, which can contribute to a continued strong market position in the industry. / För att vara konkurrenskraftig i dagens företagsklimat måste företag ständigt förbättras och bli effektivare. Detta kan uppnås bland annat genom att utveckla och effektivisera ett företags värdekedja.   Bombardier Rail Control Soutions (RCS) har växt framförallt genom företagsförvärv, dock har förvärven inte integrerats på ett bra sätt in i den existerande värdekedjan. Detta har resulterat i en decentraliserad värdekedja där RCS:s olika arbetsplatser använder olika ERP system. Konsekvensen av detta har lett till en ökande manuell arbetsbelastning, brist på synlighet mellan siter och en ineffektiv värdekedja.   Målsättningen med det här projektet har varit att identifiera hur Bombardier RCS kan utveckla och effektivisera sin värdekedja genom att centralisera olika delar av den, exempelvis ERP system och olika processer. För att uppnå detta har ett nära samarbete med Bombardier genom projektet varit centralt med intervjuer, möten och diskussioner, tillsammans med en litteraturstudie. Dessutom har presentationer framförts kontinuerligt för att säkerställa att resultaten följt Bombardier RCS:s mål. RCS:s historiska data har också analyserats.   Utifrån ovannämnda metoder har flera problem löst och förbättringsområden har identifierats. Problem som har lösts är bland annat att centralisera RCS:s masterdata och hur man kan centralisera processer hos Bombardier RCS. Förbättringsområden är bland annat fördelarna med att centralisera Bombardier RCS:s värdekedja och vinsterna med ett centrallager. Bombardier RCS bör även centralisera deras ERP-system för att möjliggöra globala MRP-beräkningar och så vidare. Vidare har det identifierats att det finns en  förbättringspotential för Bombardier RCS:s leveransprecision som kan lösas dels med att integrera värdekedjan (med leverantörer) eller/och lagerlägga artiklar.   Slutsatsen är att Bombardier RCS bör centralisera sin värdekedja stegvis eftersom det är omöjligt att centralisera allt på en gång. Genom en centraliserad värdekedja kan det minimera den manuella arbetsbelastningen, skapa visibilitet mellan olika arbetsplatser, bidra till en bättre leveransprecision och effektivisera värdekedjan. Genom att göra detta kommer Bombardier RCS bli mer konkurrenskraftig, vilket kommer bidra till en fortsatt stark marknadsposition i branschen.

The research topic is: Tools for the revision of a maintenance strategy for an explosives manufacturing plant, using asset management principles. This research has specific reference to the SASOL Prillan plant based in SASOL, Sasolburg. The purpose of this research is to identify tools for the revision of a maintenance strategy for an explosives manufacturing plant, using asset management principles. These tools must be aimed to increase the proactive work capacity index, Figure 3, and to identify and/or develop tools that can be used by the engineering team of this explosives manufacturing plant to increase equipment reliability and performance. In this research assets include people. The meaning and application of asset management principles were researched and the tools needed to combine existing efforts and future needs are discussed. The human element to ensure the successful implementation of an asset management culture was researched and attributes of leaders and a change model is presented. This research was done into the wider engineering management discipline and not only maintenance. The method used to gather data was by means of interviews of a sample group within this organization. As this manufacturing unit makes use of subject matter experts, these support functions and plant personnel that were not interviewed, were issued with questionnaires to ensure that the sample group is a fair representation of the total manufacturing facility. To obtain a holistic view of potential shortcomings within the current maintenance strategy, all disciplines and levels within this operation were interviewed and commonalities of various asset management models were determined and used to define existing problem areas. This data was used to determine statistical correlations. The case study presented in Chapter 1 indicates that there is a case for change that can improve the proactive work capacity index of the engineering team. The results of this research confirm that there is in fact a real requirement to increase spares accuracy, improve on technical training as well as a need to establish visual performance indicators (dashboard) to measure overall equipment efficiency with the goal toTools for the revision of a maintenance strategy for an explosives manufacturing plant, using asset management principles increase equipment reliability and performance. The technical training referred to in this research reflects on training of people on equipment after investment in new technology. The current spares holding strategy is lacking equipment description accuracy. Furthermore, it is recommended that the implementation of career paths and development plans for individuals must be developed to create an environment of learning. The use of user status information captured on the computerized maintenance management system (SAP R/3) can add to the management of works orders and indicate where the focus must be to complete overdue work orders. Open work orders should be used to manage expenditure, to measure planning efficiency and to manage the cash flow of the business. The use of overall equipment efficiency and engineering efficiency measures is recommended and must be visually displayed on a “dashboard”. It was recommended that the engineering and operations personnel of this manufacturing plant be trained in asset management principles and that balanced scorecards are developed to ensure that the strategies of the various departments are aligned with the business strategy. Diagram 1 best illustrates the thinking and process flow of this research. The flow diagram shows five distinct stages and the appropriate objectives and/ or elements that were considered. The dissertation is also structured in this manner. All abbreviations, acronyms and definitions used in this document were listed in APPENDIX B / Thesis (M.Ing. (Development and Management Engineering))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2009.

The research topic is: Tools for the revision of a maintenance strategy for an explosives manufacturing plant, using asset management principles. This research has specific reference to the SASOL Prillan plant based in SASOL, Sasolburg. The purpose of this research is to identify tools for the revision of a maintenance strategy for an explosives manufacturing plant, using asset management principles. These tools must be aimed to increase the proactive work capacity index, Figure 3, and to identify and/or develop tools that can be used by the engineering team of this explosives manufacturing plant to increase equipment reliability and performance. In this research assets include people. The meaning and application of asset management principles were researched and the tools needed to combine existing efforts and future needs are discussed. The human element to ensure the successful implementation of an asset management culture was researched and attributes of leaders and a change model is presented. This research was done into the wider engineering management discipline and not only maintenance. The method used to gather data was by means of interviews of a sample group within this organization. As this manufacturing unit makes use of subject matter experts, these support functions and plant personnel that were not interviewed, were issued with questionnaires to ensure that the sample group is a fair representation of the total manufacturing facility. To obtain a holistic view of potential shortcomings within the current maintenance strategy, all disciplines and levels within this operation were interviewed and commonalities of various asset management models were determined and used to define existing problem areas. This data was used to determine statistical correlations. The case study presented in Chapter 1 indicates that there is a case for change that can improve the proactive work capacity index of the engineering team. The results of this research confirm that there is in fact a real requirement to increase spares accuracy, improve on technical training as well as a need to establish visual performance indicators (dashboard) to measure overall equipment efficiency with the goal toTools for the revision of a maintenance strategy for an explosives manufacturing plant, using asset management principles increase equipment reliability and performance. The technical training referred to in this research reflects on training of people on equipment after investment in new technology. The current spares holding strategy is lacking equipment description accuracy. Furthermore, it is recommended that the implementation of career paths and development plans for individuals must be developed to create an environment of learning. The use of user status information captured on the computerized maintenance management system (SAP R/3) can add to the management of works orders and indicate where the focus must be to complete overdue work orders. Open work orders should be used to manage expenditure, to measure planning efficiency and to manage the cash flow of the business. The use of overall equipment efficiency and engineering efficiency measures is recommended and must be visually displayed on a “dashboard”. It was recommended that the engineering and operations personnel of this manufacturing plant be trained in asset management principles and that balanced scorecards are developed to ensure that the strategies of the various departments are aligned with the business strategy. Diagram 1 best illustrates the thinking and process flow of this research. The flow diagram shows five distinct stages and the appropriate objectives and/ or elements that were considered. The dissertation is also structured in this manner. All abbreviations, acronyms and definitions used in this document were listed in APPENDIX B / Thesis (M.Ing. (Development and Management Engineering))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2009.

Abstract Master data describes business objects that are shared across an entire enterprise. Master data is a single source of information that should be used across the IT systems and business processes without changing. Definitions and understanding of common data and how well it is understood forms the basis for understanding the master data. The main objective of this study is to clarify how one product data should be understood and defined and to identify the main challenges and the best practices for managing the one product data for business processes. This study approaches one product data for integrated business processes from several perspectives by focusing on one product master data, data ownership, and the importance of a governance model for managing the master data. The means also to determine business value of master data and to ensure that a company’s success in reaching this business value is analysed. The findings of this study reveal the need for balance between business processes, data, and IT systems. The study indicates that a governance model is necessary in conjunction with business processes, data, and IT systems to ensure that an adequate foundation is created for one product data. One product data is the sum of product-related business data and one product master data. One product master data is the “DNA” of a product that is created by the product portfolio management process and is stored and controlled by a Product Lifecycle Management IT-system that updates the receiving systems in business processes with the common product data. One product data forms the basis for integrated business processes. In the product life cycle context, this means that data must be in place from the new product development phase to the maintenance phase, as well as across sales processes, supply chains, and care/service processes. Discontinuous data is harmful as it causes extra costs in management and slows down data analysis, as well as affects the reaction speed around changes on the business side. New business opportunities such as digitalisation may become very difficult if centralised one product data is not in place. It is important to keep in mind that if data integrity and quality are not in place in a company, adding new business models might be very challenging. / Tiivistelmä Master data on informaatiota, joka on määritelty yksiselitteisesti ja sitä käytetään muuttumattomana ylitse eri IT- järjestelmien ja -prosessien. Datamäärityksillä tuetaan liiketoiminnan prosesseja. Datan määritelmät ja yleinen datan ymmärtämisen taso yrityksessä ovat tärkeitä elementtejä, muodostaen pohjan Master data -käsitteelle. Tämän tutkimuksen päätarkoituksena on selkiyttää kuinka yksiselitteinen tuotetieto tulisi ymmärtää ja määritellä. Samalla identifioidaan suurimmat haasteet ja parhaat käytänteet yhdenmukaisen tuotetiedon hallinnalle. Tutkimuksessa keskitytään yhtenäisen master datan käsitteistön, datan omistajuuden, sekä hallinnointimallin tärkeiden näkökulmien kautta kokonaisuuden ymmärtämiseen useista eri näkökulmista. Tutkimuksessa perehdytään myös datan liiketoiminnallisen arvon tunnistamiseen. Sen kautta voidaan varmistaa yrityksen kyvykkyys saavuttaa asetetut tavoitteet, jotka johto on määritellyt esim. strategian kautta. Tulokset kertovat, että on äärimmäisen tärkeää löytää oikea balanssi liiketoiminnan prosessien, datan ja tietojärjestelmien kesken. Yksikäsitteinen tuotetieto on summa, joka muodostuu tuotteeseen liittyvästä liiketoimintatiedosta sekä yhtenäisestä tuote master datasta. Yhtenäinen tuote master data on ikään kuin tuotteen DNA tietoa. Yhteenvetona voidaan todeta, että parhaimmillaan data määritellään kerran ja sitä käytetään muuttumattomana eri liiketoiminnan prosessissa hyödyksi. Yhtenäinen tuote data muodostaa pohjan liiketoiminnan prosessien integroimiselle. Tuotteen elinkaaren sisällön osalta tämä tarkoittaa sitä, että data luodaan osana uuden tuotteen kehitysprosessia ottaen huomioon muiden liiketoiminta prosessien tarpeet kuten myynti, logistiikka ja valmistus, huolto jne. On äärimmäisen tärkeää, että datalle ei synny epäjatkuvuuskohtia eri prosessien välille. Datan epäjatkuvuuskohdat voivat tuottaa ylimääräisinä kustannuksia ylläpidon, data analytiikan ja raportoinnin kautta. Yleinen reagointinopeus liiketoiminnan muutoksiin on yleensä hitaampaa. Uusien liiketoimintamahdollisuuksien kuten digitalisaation tai esineiden internetin (IoT) toteuttaminen voi olla haastavaa ja kallista mikäli keskitettyä ja yhtenäistettyä tuote data mallia ei ole. Yhtenäisen tuote master datan käsite ja parhaita käytänteistä toteuttava hallintamalli antavat pohjan tietokeskeiselle ajattelulle yrityksessä.

Abstract Products and services are critical for companies as they create the foundation for companies’ financial success. Twenty per cent of company products typically account for some eighty per cent of sales volume. Nevertheless, the product portfolio decisions — how to strategically renew company product offering — tend to involve emotions, pet products and who-shout-the-loudest mentality while facts, numbers, and quantitative analyses are missing. Profitability is currently measured and reported at a company level, and firms seem unable to measure product-level profitability in a constant way. Consequently, companies are unable to maintain and renew their product portfolio in a strategically or commercially balanced way. The main objective of this study is to provide a data-driven product portfolio management (PPM) concept, which recognises and visualises in real-time and based on facts which company products are concurrently strategic and profitable, and what is the share of them in the product portfolio. This dissertation is a qualitative study to understand the topical area by the means combining literature review, company interviews, observations, and company internal material, to take steps towards data-driven decision-making in PPM. This study indicates that company data assets need to be combined and governed company-widely to realise the full potential of company strategic assets — the DATA. Data must be governed separately from business IT technology and beyond it. Beyond data and technology, the data-driven company culture must be adopted first. The data-driven PPM concept connects key business processes, business IT systems and several concepts, such as productization, product lifecycle management and PPM. The managerial implications include, that the shared understanding of the company products is needed, and the commercial and technical product structures are created accordingly, as they form the backbone of the company business as the skeleton to gather all product-related business-critical information for product-level profitability analysis. Also, product classification for strategic, supportive and non-strategic is needed, since the strategic nature of the product can change during the entire product lifecycle, e.g. due to the technology obsolescence, disruptive innovations by competitors, or for any other reason. / Tiivistelmä Tuotteet ja palvelut ovat yrityksille kriittisiä, sillä ne luovat perustan yritysten taloudelliselle menestykselle. Kaksikymmentä prosenttia yrityksen tuotteista edustaa tyypillisesti noin kahdeksaakymmentä prosenttia myyntimääristä. Siitä huolimatta tuoteporfoliopäätöksiin — kuinka strategisesti uudistetaan yrityksen tuotetarjoomaa — liittyy tunteita, lemmikkituotteita ja kuka-huutaa-kovimmin -mentaliteettia faktojen, numeroiden ja kvantitatiivisten analyysien puuttuessa. Kannattavuutta mitataan ja raportoidaan tällä hetkellä yritystasolla, ja yritykset eivät näyttäisi pystyvän mittaamaan tuotetason kannattavuutta johdonmukaisesti. Tämä estää yrityksiä ylläpitämästä ja uudistamasta tuotevalikoimaansa strategisesti tai kaupallisesti tasapainoisella tavalla. Tämän tutkimuksen päätavoite on tarjota dataohjattu (data-driven) tuoteportfoliohallinnan konsepti, joka tunnistaa ja visualisoi reaaliajassa ja faktapohjaisesti, mitkä yrityksen tuotteet ovat samanaikaisesti strategisia ja kannattavia ja mikä on niiden osuus tuoteportfoliossa. Tämä väitöskirja on laadullinen tutkimus, jossa yhdistyy kirjallisuuskatsaus, yrityshaastattelut, havainnot ja yritysten sisäinen dokumentaatio, joiden pohjalta pyritään kohti dataohjautuvaa päätöksentekoa tuoteportfolion hallinnassa. Tämä tutkimus osoittaa, että yrityksen data assettit on yhdistettävä ja hallittava yrityksenlaajuisesti, jotta yrityksen strategisten assettien — DATAN — potentiaali voidaan hyödyntää kokonaisuudessaan. Data on hallittava erillään yrityksen IT-teknologiasta ja sen yläpuolella. Ennen dataa ja teknologiaa on omaksuttava dataohjattu yrityskulttuuri. Dataohjatun tuoteportfolionhallinnan konsepti yhdistää keskeiset liiketoimintaprosessit, liiketoiminnan IT-järjestelmät ja useita konsepteja, kuten tuotteistaminen, tuotteen elinkaaren hallinta ja tuoteportfolion hallinta. Yhteisymmärrys yrityksen tuotteista ja sekä kaupallisen että teknisen tuoterakenteet luominen vastaavasti on ennakkoedellytys dataohjatulle tuoteportfolion hallinnalle, koska ne muodostavat yrityksen liiketoiminnan selkärangan, joka yhdistää kaikki tuotteisiin liittyvät liiketoimintakriittiset tiedot tuotetason kannattavuuden analysoimiseksi. Lisäksi tarvitaan tuotteiden kategorisointi strategisiin, tukeviin ja ei-strategisiin tuotteisiin, koska tuotteen strateginen luonne voi muuttua tuotteen elinkaaren aikana, johtuen esimerkiksi teknologian vanhenemisesta, kilpailijoiden häiritsevistä innovaatioista tai mistä tahansa muusta syystä.

The exceeding supply over demand and very hard competitive conditions are nowadays the main features of the majority of sectors. A successful company is the one that is able to satisfy specific customers' needs, the one that has efficient cooperation with its suppliers throughout the whole supply chain and also the one that is able to speed up the in-house information exchange. Thus the company has to seek constantly new and innovative solutions. This is not possible without standardization and automatization of business processes. This master's thesis is dedicated to one of the possible solutions -- the Product Information Management (PIM). Since it is intended for business managers (without deep IT knowledge), at the beginning it answers the question why it is so important to know master data and to manage it. It specializes in managing product data, brings its comprehensive overview and identifies the advantages and drawbacks of the implementation as well as financial and organizational impacts. The consecutive chapter deals with simplified yet applicable approach to data management analysis (with emphasis on the PIM) and based on research, it mentions main mistakes of the implementation. In addition to the overview of main vendors of the PIM solution, it presents the latest trends in the PIM. Besides internal data synchronization, the thesis analyses several product standards -- the fundamental step towards external data synchronization, the key topic of the practical part. The whole thesis is conceived to provide an organization with a simple yet compact and therefore very effective tool for master product data insight and thus to help it to gain a competitive advantage.