This report is the result of a thesis work in mechanichal engineering performed at Volvo GroupTrucks Operations, Powertrain productions in Köping by the student Christoffer Jansson. Thework of 15 ECTS credits is conducted over a 20 week period at half speed equivalent to 400working hours.The background to the work is the desire to improve a workstation where the transmissions tothe IPS2/3 and IPS15 are assembled. The problem on the workstation is that the workers areperforming non value-added activities (NVAA) and it is of interest that one would examine thepossibility of how to squeeze two bearing rings in the same sequence. The aim is thus todevelop a suggestion of improvement for the bearing pressing method on the assembly line.The issue the thesis work is based on is: How does one manage to press together two bearingrings in the same sequence into a particular component? & How can one improve theergonomic circumstances on the workstation?To be able to perform this work, a case study based on the product development processaccording to Ulrich and Eppinger (2012) has been made. Product development tools are used tofacilitate the work of the student. Including Gantt chart, Pugh's analysis and functional analysis.The result of the work is a modification of the existing working table where the bearing ringsare pressed into the middle gear housing. The solution consists of a steel plate that rests on fivesprings which dampen the weight of the middle gear housing. The middle gear housing is thecomponent in which the bearing rings are pressed in. There are 5 guiding rods that are mountedon the steel plate, one for each spring, which has the function to keep the steel plate stablewhen the middle gear housing is set on top. These guiding rods are in turn controlled bybushings which serve to reduce friction. The bushings are standard components that aremounted into a component called the bushing holder, which is a component that is screwed intothe table.The new working process the solution provides eliminates the previous NVAA that has been onthe station before and allows the worker to press two bearing rings into the middle gearinghouse in the same sequence. The ergonomic circumstances have also been improved due to theelimination of the worker having to rotate the heavy middle gearing house 180 degrees. Thesolution thus meets the demands made in the report and solves the problems identified.

Globalization, shorter product life cycles and larger product variation has increased the competition for industrial companies in today's business environment. This creates a higher need for an efficient production where reduction of throughput time has proved to be a crucial efficiency factor. Production lead time, which is a part of the total throughput time, has gained limited attention in previous research. Therefore, this study aimed to design and evaluate a model for assembly lines, which analyzes it and makes it more efficient, especially focusing on production lead time. The model was later applied and evaluated at a company.   By conducting a literature review, interviews and observations with an abductive approach the purpose of the study was answered. A model was designed based upon ten identified factors, such as communication and quality, from both literature and the company. The model was then completed with suggested actions, such as 5S and supporting IT-systems, connected to the different factors. The structure of the model was inspired by a similar model, conducted earlier, but has been simplified and customized to the purpose of this study.   With the identified factors as a starting point, the model was applied to the company Eco Log AB by analyzing their harvester assembly line. This was completed with suggested actions. The model reached a satisfactory level by giving a clear picture of what factors were affecting the efficiency, allowing fast navigation between factors and actions and also the actions being seemingly suiting and relevant. To strengthen the generalization of the model, potentially, it can be applied to additional companies. Going more in-depth into each factor to find additional action propositions is perhaps a future development of the model. / Globaliseringen, kortare produktlivscykler och större produktvariation ökar konkurrensen på industriföretag i dagens affärsklimat. Detta ställer allt högre krav på en effektiv produktion där reducering av genomloppstid har visat sig vara en avgörande faktor för effektiviteten. Produktionsledtiden, som är en del av den totala genomloppstiden, har fått lite uppmärksamhet i tidigare forskning. Därför syftade denna studie till att utforma och utvärdera en modell för att analysera och effektivisera en monteringslina med särskilt fokus på produktionsledtid. Modellen tillämpades och utvärderades hos ett fallföretag.   Genom en litteraturstudie, intervjuer och observationer med utgångspunkt i en abduktiv ansats besvarades studiens syfte. En modell utformades med hjälp av tio identifierade faktorer, som exempelvis kommunikation och kvalitet, från både litteraturen och fallföretaget. Dessa faktorer kompletterades med åtgärdsförslag, som exempelvis 5S och stödjande IT-system, som också placerades i modellen. Strukturen till modellen har inspirerats av en tidigare liknande modell, men förenklades och anpassades till studiens ändamål.   Modellen tillämpades sedan på företaget Eco Log AB genom att dess monteringslina för skördare analyserades med utgångspunkt i de identifierade faktorerna. Detta följdes upp av förslag till åtgärder. Modellen har fungerat på ett tillfredsställande sätt då den givit en tydlig bild över de faktorer som påverkar effektiviteten, navigationen mellan faktorer och åtgärder har varit snabb samt att åtgärderna ansetts passande och relevanta. För att höja modellens generaliserbarhet kan tillämpning ske på flera företag. En vidareutveckling av modellen skulle kunna tänkas vara att fördjupa sig i de olika faktorerna och hitta ytterligare åtgärdsförslag.

Ålö AB is a world-leading company in agricultural equipment. They sell and manufacture front loaders and implement solutions for tractors. The transport solution currently used in assembly is outdated and must be replaced in the near future. The purpose of the project was to carry out a preliminary investigation to provide increased knowledge for future decisions regarding the implementation of a new transport system. The investigation was conducted through a literature review and observation of the existing transport system. Additionally, a market survey of the transport systems has also been performed. The study is based on theories such as 5s and the Toyota Production system (TPS). In this report, five different transport solutions such as monorail, drag chain conveyor, and Automated Guided Vehicles, are compared with each other based on various aspects identified during the implementation process. Examples of these aspects include expansion possibilities, safety, and ergonomics. Each transport system was evaluated and compared in a table, scored on a scale of 1-5 based on these aspects. The two systems that were considered most suitable were selected for further comparison. The project was limited to addressing only the transport system itself, excluding layout proposals or logistics. The result indicate that an Automated Guided Vehicle system is the most optimal transport solution for the assembly line. Further work on the project should include a cost comparison of the different transport solutions, as well as a deeper analysis of their integration with existing systems. / Ålö AB är ett världsledande företag inom jordbruksredskap. De säljer och tillverkar frontlastare och redskapslösningar till traktorer. Transportlösningen som används på monteringen idag är gammal och måste bytas ut inom en snar framtid. Syftet med projektet var att genomföra en förundersökning som kan bidra med ökade kunskaper inför kommande beslut om implementering av ett nytt transportsystem. Genomförandet av undersökningen bygger på en litteraturstudie och observation av befintligt transportsystem. Även en marknadsundersökning över transportsystem har gjorts. Arbetet utgår från teorier som 5s och Toyota Production system. Fem olika transportlösningar, exempelvis monorail, drag chain conveyor och Automated Guided Vehicles, jämförs med varandra och diskuteras utifrån aspekter som tagits fram under genomförandet. Exempel på aspekterna är utbyggnadsmöjligheter, säkerhet och ergonomi. Aspekterna poängsattes på en skala 1–5. De två system som ansågs mest lämpade valdes ut för en vidare jämförelse. Projektet avgränsades till att endast behandla själva transportsystemet, inte layoutförslag eller logistik. Resultatet visar att ett Automated Guided Vehicle system är det mest optimala transportsystemet för monteringslinan. Fortsatt arbete med projektet borde inkludera en jämförelse av kostnaderna för de olika transportlösningarna. Samt en djupare analys av deras integrering med befintliga system.

The purpose of the work is to analyze and balance an assembly line at Fläkt Woods in Jönköping. The work is going to answer the questions about today’s throughput time, how much waste that occurs, number of staff at the assembly line, how the supply of material works and possible improvements that can be made at the work stations. The work is also going to give a proposal of improve-ments that can be made. The methods used to get the result include observations and measurements, con-versations with technicians and operators and also data from Fläkt Woods’ data-base. Large variations in throughput time are measured during the measure period, from 3 hours up to 5 hours and 35 minutes. These variations depend mainly on the time the air handling unit spends between the stations. The identification of the bottleneck was shown that it occurred in the last station in the assembly line. This results in a pressure from the stations behind with a long throughput time as a con-sequence. The largest source of waste is the operators’ waiting time. The measures that have been made show that the operators wait 33.4 % on average of the time available. The number of operators varies from ten to twelve during the measure period. This number of operators is too high in consideration of the high waiting times. It results in difficulties for the operators to move between the stations be-cause every station is fully manned. The supply of larger components for example fans, batteries, rotary heat exchangers and dampers for the air handling units are made by a truck driver. This leads to disorder in the work stations and fixed posi-tions for a number of smaller components and tools go missing. The analysis of the result shows that the pressure that occurs in the assembly line results in high throughput time because the units wait a long time between the stations. To eliminate these waiting times, a suction must be created. The difficul-ties for the operators to move between the stations can be solved with a lower number of operators. This makes it easier for the operators to move between the stations and reduce the waiting time for the operators.

<p>The purpose of the work is to analyze and balance an assembly line at Fläkt Woods in Jönköping. The work is going to answer the questions about today’s throughput time, how much waste that occurs, number of staff at the assembly line, how the supply of material works and possible improvements that can be made at the work stations. The work is also going to give a proposal of improve-ments that can be made.</p><p>The methods used to get the result include observations and measurements, con-versations with technicians and operators and also data from Fläkt Woods’ data-base.</p><p>Large variations in throughput time are measured during the measure period, from 3 hours up to 5 hours and 35 minutes. These variations depend mainly on the time the air handling unit spends between the stations. The identification of the bottleneck was shown that it occurred in the last station in the assembly line. This results in a pressure from the stations behind with a long throughput time as a con-sequence. The largest source of waste is the operators’ waiting time. The measures that have been made show that the operators wait 33.4 % on average of the time available. The number of operators varies from ten to twelve during the measure period. This number of operators is too high in consideration of the high waiting times. It results in difficulties for the operators to move between the stations be-cause every station is fully manned. The supply of larger components for example fans, batteries, rotary heat exchangers and dampers for the air handling units are made by a truck driver. This leads to disorder in the work stations and fixed posi-tions for a number of smaller components and tools go missing.</p><p>The analysis of the result shows that the pressure that occurs in the assembly line results in high throughput time because the units wait a long time between the stations. To eliminate these waiting times, a suction must be created. The difficul-ties for the operators to move between the stations can be solved with a lower number of operators. This makes it easier for the operators to move between the stations and reduce the waiting time for the operators.</p>

För att Swepart Transmission AB ska fortsätta att hålla en hög standard på produkter som levereras till kunder, ska monteringslinan för Power Take-Off säkras. Budgeten som är avsatt till att kvalitetssäkra monteringslinan är 500 000 kr. Pick-to-Light och Pick-to-Voice är system som kan användas för att kvalitetssäkra monteringen av Power Take-Off. Systemen jämfördes med systemet med monteringskort som används i nuläget. Det mest lämpliga att införa har visat sig vara Pick-to-Light. I samband med införandet av detta system måste utredningar göras för vilka komponenter som behöver sensorer och vilka som kan säkras på andra sätt. Detta arbete innefattar också att utreda placeringen av komponenter som är optimalt för monteringen.

Syfte: Syftet med detta arbete är att hjälpa företaget Kanthal att kunna öka kapaciteten och sänka ledtiden i sin montering, inom produktionsområdet Heating Systems, genom att komma med förbättringsförslag. Idag tillämpar företaget bänkmontering, men vill även ha förslag på hur en monteringslina kan utformas. Det finns en klar koppling mellan kapacitet och produktivitet, där företaget har förbisett sin produktivitet. Därför har författarna valt att besvara följande frågeställningar:       Vad påverkar produktiviteten och ledtiden i en bänkmontering med hantverksmoment och processtider?   Hur utformar man arbetsprocessen för en monteringslina som ökar produktiviteten och sänker ledtiden i en montering med hantverksmoment och processtider?    Metod: Genom en fallstudie har författarna valt att undersöka valda frågeställningar. Tillvägagångsättet började med en processkartläggning och tidsstudie för att sedan kunna göra en värdeflödesanalys. Parallellt genomförde författarna en litteraturstudie som skapar en bredare förståelse vid analys av insamlande data. För att samla in data har författarna använt sig av intervjuer och observationer.     Studiens resultat: Resultatet av studien visar genom en processkartläggning nuläget över processerna på företaget där författarna har identifierade befintliga flaskhalsar. Kartläggningen har begränsats utifrån uppdraget av företaget där fokus legat på monteringen. Brister och flaskhalsar som uppdagats av processkartläggningens resultat. Dessa brister är bland annat torkningstid och onödiga arbetsmoment. För att tackla dessa brister har de två forskningsfrågorna hjälpt studiens framfart vilket har resulterat i en ny layout i kombination med förslag på arbetsprocesser kring monteringslinan.   Slutsats: Syftet har uppfyllts genom processkartläggningen och analysen av resultatet. Studien besvarar forskningsfrågorna som har möjliggjort en analys av monteringslinans utformning. Analysen över arbetet har resulterat i ett förslag på en ny layout och alternativa material och verktygspresentation samt andra arbetsmetoder.    Rekommendationer: För att gå vidare med förbättringarna som kartlagts bör företaget hitta ett standardiserat arbetssätt och samtidigt se över arbetsmetoderna och ergonomin i monteringen.     Nyckelord: standardiserat arbetssätt, slöserier, monteringslina, produktivitet, ledtidsförkortning.

Purpose – The purpose with this study is to investigate how an assembly line for products with long cycle time, high product variation and operators who follow the products through the flow can be planned for a high resource utilization as well as the challenges that can arise when planning an assembly line with an increasing demand and how these can be handled. Method – To fulfill the purpose of this study a case study was conducted at Mastec Components AB in Vaggeryd. The empirical data gathered from the case study was obtained through interviews, observations and document studies. The empirical data was then analysed against theory, which means that pattern matching was used and the analyse led to the studies results. Findings – This study illustrates how an assembly line with special demands can be planned to gain high resource utilization. When the products cycle times are multiple they can be sorted into product families to simplify the planning and it also enables a tacted planning method to be used. The study also presents how the usage of time buffers can facilitate the planning of an assembly line. Moreover the study illuminates the importance of controlling tact, both from the customer and the own production. When demand increases it is important that the production line is capable to keep up, therefore some arrangements can be done to reduce waste and increase capacity. Possible alternatives can be buffers, allocating resources and parallel assembly lines. Implications – The study investigates a type of assembly line where the operators follow the products through the flow. This type of assembly line is unexplored in theory and thereby a knowledge gap has been identified which partly have been covered by this study. Further on, the study contributed to an increased understanding of the consequences that occur when operators follow the flow and when products have long varying cycle times. The study also shows the value of calculating tact and use the advantages from it to easier handle variation in demand. Limitations – The case study was performed as one case study which means that only one unit has been analysed. This was due to the lack of resources to do several case studies, both regarding time and ability to find more facilities with similar conditions. If it were possible to conduct more case studies the results could have been more general. Keywords – Tact, tact time, tacted planning, assembly line, planning, operators, buffer.

The increasing globalization of the market has rendered the competitive situation for companies worldwide more fierce than ever with order winners becoming order qualifiers and the demand continues to rise. Especially, the situation has become more complex for SME´s that are suppliers to large global companies. To ensure themselves that the suppliers are conforming to the high standards set by the large companies. In mediating the quality of the production as well as having a well-performing production, practitioners are using the term industrial look and feel to encapsulate a production that both deliver and looks the part. However, this term is loosely used, and a clear definition of it is missing, hence creating problems when the term industrial look and feel is used in production line design. In this study, the authors aim to investigate the possibilities of providing a clear definition of the term industrial look and feel and what it involves. Further, the authors want to investigate what are the important aspects to consider when designing a production line considering industrial look and feel. The study was directed by these three research questions: * How can Industrial Look and Feel be defined? * How does Industrial Look and Feel contribute to increased performance of a production line? * What is important to consider when designing a production line considering industrial look and feel in an HMLV environment? To answer the research questions a case study has been conducted at a company producing the robust data communication equipment and a literature review was conducted with the aim of understanding the concepts included in the term industrial look and feel. The study resulted in a definition of industrial look and feel, how industrial look and feel may contribute the production performance and important aspect to consider and include in the design of a production line considering industrial look and feel. Taking the newly defined concept of industrial look and feel into consideration, a concept assembly line was developed at the case study company.

En verkstad som tillverkar växellådor planerade att bygga om verkstaden. Det fanns flera problem i verkstaden som indirekt påverkade produktionen. Att tåg stod stilla utan att göra ett aktivt arbete på en huvudled i verkstaden sågs som ett stort problem. Ett annat problem var att det fanns för många tåg i verkstaden. Den planerade ombyggnationen var till för att få ned antalet tåg i verkstaden. Med ombyggnationen ville verkstadens ansvariga undersöka ytterligare möjligheter hur verkstaden skulle kunna förändras och kunna lösa delar av problemen. Det var även intressant att se om möjliga implementeringar av verkstaden skulle ge en ökad produktion. Målen var att skapa ett simuleringsverktyg för att undersöka hur olika lösningar som baserades på ombyggnationen skulle kunna påverka ett tåg som fyllde på material till monteringslinor i verkstaden. För att kunna testa olika lösningar behövde en simuleringsmodell utvecklas och verifieras mot den befintliga lösningen i verkstaden. Därefter utökades modellen för att testa nya lösningar. Från verkstaden fanns det data på konsumering av material. För tåget som skulle fylla på material fanns det teoretiska tider för olika arbetsmoment. Konsumeringen av material uppförde sig enligt en slumpfördelning som var normalfördelad. Resultatet blev att endast konsumeringen av material kunde verifieras då det bara fanns data på hur konsumtionen av material skedde. Resterande delar av simuleringen använde teoretiska planerade värden. Av de undersökta lösningarna var det en lösning med en ny hållplats på en mindre trafikerad väg, där ett tåg kunde vänta, som visade ett mer önskat resultat än de andra som undersöktes. / A workshop that produces gearboxes planned to remodel the workshop. There were several problems that indirectly affected the production. The fact that trains stood still without doing active work on the main road in the workshop was a major problem. Another problem was that there were too many trains in the workshop. The planned reconstruction was to reduce the number of trains in the workshop. With the remodel, those responsible for the workshop wanted to explore further possibilities on how the workshop could be changed. It was also interesting to see if the implementation of changes would give an increased production. The goals were to create a simulation tool to investigate how different solutions based on the rebuild could affect a train that loaded the material into assembly lines in the workshop. To be able to test different solutions, a simulation model needed to be developed and verified against the existing solution. Then the model was expanded to test new solutions. From the workshop there was data on the consumption of materials. For the train that would load up on materials, there were theoretical times for various work tasks. The consumption of materials behaved according to a random distribution that was normally distributed. The result was that only the consumption of materials could be verified as there was only data on how the consumption of materials took place. Remaining parts of the simulation used theoretically planned values. Of the solutions investigated, it was a solution with a new bus stop on a less busy road, where a train could wait, that showed a more desirable result than the others that were investigated.