The purpose of this study is to better understand the functioning of knowledge sharing in the supply chain of Taiwan IT industry and face the current practice of modular component outsourcing with a theoretical threat of architecture change and modularity trap. Today, modularity and component outsourcing became almost an prerequisite for an successful IT company. Product architectures are widespread and well defined. It is however the question nobody dares to ask – what if this changes? How can the Taiwan suppliers make sure, that they will still be in the game even if the rules change? How can they assure that their position as the cutting edge component providers won`t be taken by someone else? The basic premise of the research is, that the relationship management of supplier and buyers often seen in countries with Confucian tradition can overcome this threat thanks to deeply rooted trust and good and opened communication patterns. This paper first introduces the Supplier-buyer relationship theory and background on its functioning within the New Product Development (NPD) area. The study also touches on the issue of Early Supplier Involvement (ESI) into the New Product Development. Next the theory on Modularity and Modularity Trap are introduced. Based on the literature review, I construct an research framework, consisting of two bodies: The architecture as a variable and Buyer-supplier relationship and NPD. The major conclusions of this study are (1) The architecture of the product to be developed is an important driver on the supplier-buyer relationship creation. (2) To build the relationship with buyers is important step for the suppliers, but it can only be build around technology that is important for the buyer. (3) Supplier`s understanding of architecture knowledge of its buyers is crucial. (4) The main reason to invite supplier into New product development is buyers technological distance between what they can have and what they want to have. (5) Product Complexity (number of parts and their interconnections within the product) have a positive influence on the supplier role creation. (6) All buyers have a rather good component knowledge. (7) The management alignment will be greatly influenced byt architectural attributes of the product to be developed.

Evar är ett examensarbete, om 22,5 HP individuellt utfört av André Runling under våren 2012 vid Karlstads universitet, till högskoleingenjörsprogrammet i innovationsteknik och design. Uppdragsgivare för projektet har varit Johan Larsvall, industridesigner och ägare av Idesign i Stockholm. Handledare på Karlstads universitet har varit Lennart Wihk, industridesigner och universitetsadjunkt. Examinator har varit Fredrik Thuvander, professor och universitetslektor. Idesign är en designbyrå med kontor på Långholmen i centrala Stockholm och har uppdrag för olika företag inom olika branscher, bland annat Silva Sweden AB och myndigheten Trafikverket. Idesign har Trafikverkets uppdrag att komma med förslag på koncept till cykelbelysning för ökad användning och tillförlitlighet mot dagens användning. Projektet har initierats av Trafikverket och Idesign skall stå för utvecklingen av en belysning åt Silva. Silva har specialiserat sig på pannlampor i många år och ser en möjlighet att nå en ny marknad av cykelbelysning med samarbetet, vilket föranledde detta examensarbete och en utvecklingsprocess mot Idesign i första hand. Projektets första del gick ut på att undersöka vad som brister med dagens cykelbelysning och varför den inte används i så stor utsträckning. Undersökningen gjordes i form av enkäter och diskussioner på svenska forum på internet. En stor del av projektet innebar att jämföra varför användningen ser annorlunda ut och används oftare i Danmark och även Tyskland. Tyskland har ett detaljerat typgodkännande av cykelbelysning i trafikförordningen som behövde tydas. Med hjälp av den insamlade informationen påbörjades en utveckling av ett koncept till en belysning med idégenerering och kravspecifikation som sedan skulle utvärderas med matriser. Med ett mål och tanke om att den den skall andas enkelhet och tilltala en person som pendlar på cykel. Av de tre koncept som presenterades för Idesign valdes ett koncept ut för vidare bearbetning som utvecklades till ett slutligt förslag och beskrivning på en cykelbelysning. Det förslag som utvecklades innebär att lampan fram blir batteridriven som meddelar med en batteriindikator när den bör laddas, direkt i ett eluttag. Med ett enkelt handgrepp ansluts den i ett fäste på cykeln som i sin tur är ett spänne som monteras fast steglöst på cykeln med en rem. Det innebär att den kan monteras på vilken cykel som helst. Medan lampan bak är tänkt att alltid sitta på, ha samma typ av montering och ha automatisk på- och avslagning via en ljus- och rörelsedetektor. Den har fortfarande en batteriindikator för att se när batterier bör bytas. Både fram och baklampan är utrustade med LED-belysning. / Evar is a project degree of 22,5 ECTS credits individually carried out by André Runling during the spring of 2012 at Karlstad University, for a bachelor degree in Innovation technique and Design engineering. The assigner for this project is Johan Larsvall, industrial designer and owner of Idesign in Stockholm. Academic supervisor at Karlstad University has been Lennart Wihk, industrial designer and university lecturer. Examiner has been Fredrik Thuvander, professor and university lecturer. Idesign is a design agency with office on Longholmen in central of Stockholm and is assigned by different companies in different sectors such as, Silva Sweden AB and Trafikverket. Idesign got the task from Trafikverket to make suggestions to concepts of bike lights that increase the use and reliability compared to todays use. The project was initiated by Trafikverket while Idesign were responsible of developing a bike light to Silva. Silva has specialised themselves in head lamps for many years and have seen an opportunity to reach a new market with the collaboration, which resulted in this degree project and development primary to Idesign. The projects first part was to study what is inadequate in today's lighting and why it is not used as much as it should. The study was conducted with a poll and discussions on Swedish forums on the internet. A large part of the project was to compare why the usage looks different and is used more often in Denmark, and also Germany. Germany has a detailed approval of bicycle lights in their traffic regulations which was needed to be interpreted. Using the information gathered, a development of concepts started to a bicycle light that exudes simplicity and appeal to a commuting cyclist, with the idea generation method and product specification which was evaluated in a matrix. Of three concepts that were presented to Idesign, one concept was selected for further processing which developed into a final proposal and description of a bicycle light. The final solution means that the head lamp is powered by a battery, and notifies with a battery indicator when it needs charging, directly into a electrical outlet. With a simple single-hand grip it’s connected in the bracket and, in its turn a buckle, which is mounted steplessly on the bicycle by a strap. It means it can be mounted on any bicycle. While the rear light is supposed to always sit on, have the same type of installation and have an automatic on and off switch via a light and motion detector. It still has a battery indicator to se when batteries should be replaced. Both the front and the rear light is equipped with LED for lighting.

The purpose of this study is to identify the suppliers’ involvement in innovation and New Product Development (NPD) of wind turbine manufacturing. In this thesis we analysed the sources of innovation and also explored the benefits that the companies derive when they involve the suppliers in the process of innovation and NPD. We present results from the study of 31 wind turbine producers across the globe including, small, medium and large companies. The conclusions are that most of the companies claimed that they involve suppliers in innovation and NPD. In the theory chapter, we have presented different techniques of suppliers’ involvement in innovation: to, with and by (Wintelism) the suppliers. Most of the companies use ‘’to’’ the suppliers technique when they involve suppliers in innovation. Improved quality, lower cost and utilising the suppliers’ knowledge & expertise are the main benefits that companies receive when they involve suppliers in innovation and product development.

In today’s market, competition is driving companies to force themselves to constantly improve. New challenges due to higher competition force engineering companies to reduce costs, increase their efficiency and decrease time to market. Lean Product Development, involving powerful methodologies and tools to maximize customer value and eliminate waste, is being popularised. This Master’s thesis aims to analyse the possibilities of Lean Product Development in project orientated engineering companies. Semcon is a global technology company offering engineering services and product information. It strives to undertake more in-house projects and become a project delivery. A study was conducted investigating how Semcon and its division TDO can improve its in-house projects from a resource and time perspective based on Lean Product Development. Furthermore, it investigates how Lean Product Development can be introduced at Semcon and during what restrictions. To achieve a deeper understanding of the methodologies and its possibilities at Semcon, benchmarking was conducted at Autoliv, Saab EDS and Scania, companies that successfully have initiated Lean transformation in their PD processes. The study reaches the conclusion that by working with continuous improvement, great potential exists for Semcon to improve its organisation. No systematic approach for utilising new ideas exists today and improvements need to be better spread and standardised in the company. Benchmarking companies have shown remarkable results working with this methodology and by introducing it at Semcon, it should provide great possibilities. Furthermore, the study shows that TDO’s ambition is to add much value in the earlier phases of product development. According to TDO’s management as well as research within the field, these phases are where most costumer value is created. By working with even more front-loaded product development, utilising a broader design space, TDO will gain advantages such as closer customer interaction and more successful results. Set-based design is a methodology recommended for TDO to avoid long iterative loops. When investigating what limitations exist when trying to combine XLPM, Semcon’s project model, and Lean Product Development, no great obstacles are observed. In XLPM, the first tollgates are to be postponed in comparison to traditional product development, to better suit front-loaded product development. The benchmarking companies are working with similar stage-gate project models, and have with satisfying results managed to combine it with Lean Product Development. The study reaches the conclusion that by creating a visual organisation, using a so-called Obeya room, the best possibilities for introducing Lean Product Development at Semcon will occur. A larger transparency between projects and more spreading of knowledge is requested by Semcon consultants, which a visual organisation provides. An action plan for an Obeya room is presented involving tools that support essential Lean methodologies that are important for TDO, such as continuous improvement, standardisations and knowledge flow. Visual tools supporting the possibilities to conduct parallel projects and handle resources more efficient are presented. TDO is recommended to initiate its Lean journey with an Obeya room.

The purpose of this thesis is to provide taxonomy of risk management (RM) in new product development (NPD) research and, based on that, to develop a research agenda for this field of study. The review was based on a systematic review which not only concentrates peer reviewed journal papers but also conferences and a book chapter. A total of 58 academic sources have been retrieved published within the period of 1980-2012 and were classified into various purposeful themes. The review reveals that research on RM in NPD is mostly theoretical in nature and lacks empirical foundations. It also argues that while there has been written a lot on how risk should be managed in NPD process (prescriptive type), the other aspect of how risk is being managed (descriptive type) is not very well addressed. Based on this, various research gaps are identified from different developed themes. The review is limited in several ways. First, research cannot be regarded as complete or comprehensive literature review in the field of RM in NPD, although every effort has been made to include the articles relevant to review question. The themes selected for classification of articles could have been structured in many different ways. The research accomplishes an identified need for exhaustive classification of literature. It identifies discrepancies among theoretical and empirical knowledge and thus tries to bridge a gap between both types of knowledge.

This dissertation focuses the attention toward inventors and key actors involved in product development projects. The study focuses on how a new product development process is carried out operationally and strategically in small, technology-driven firms. The study is based on findings from four case studies among small aircraft manufacturers, two from Sweden, one from Germany, and one from northern Finland. By using one of the Swedish cases as a platform, issues concerning the development process emerged and were summarized in sixteen statemens. The statements were then used as themes and checkpoints when gathering information from the three additional cases. The analysis has been made in two steps; first, a comparison between the platform case and the additional case were made based on the statements, second, issues emerging from all four cases are discussed. The dissertation introduces perpetual product development as a terminology suitable for explaining the behaviour found in the studied firms. A foundation for perpetual product development is presented based on both actor and process characteristics. The actors are technology devotees with numerous ideas to pursue. Their technological interest result in a preference for the first part of the development process since they experience a higher degree of technological freedom from start. Once the product starts to materialize, the actors' possibility of incorporating new technical gadgets diminishes. As a consequence, a weaker interest for the exploitation/launch phase is present. The actors also have a time conception that differs from what is normally assumed. They do not consider speeding-to-market important, since the actors prefer a superior product than being first out on the market. Their attitude toward speeding-to- market also demand actors with a high degree of stamina, since it often involves projects carried out over a long period of time. Due to the individual characteristics described above, the process is technology-driven. The process also experience a fuzzy start and culmination. The actors will continue to make adjustments to the construction even after the product has been launched, if they believe it can be technically improved. A consequence regarding the way the actors are managing their firm is that there is a tendency to regard the product development as a leisure-time activity. In view of the findings, it can be established that each case has to be evaluated on its own merits, with regard to the central actors' personal objectives. / digitalisering@umu

Within the telecommunication business there are a lot of different hardware designs made for outside locations. Many of these outdoor products contain sensitive electronic equipment and all of these designs must be able to function in extreme environments. They might be mounted on the ground, on a wall or on masts at varying altitudes. They need to be enclosed and protected against blizzards, moisture, sandstorms, earthquakes, dust and similar contaminations or nature phenomena in order to assure a reliable and proper function of the device. To delimit this thesis the focus is completely set on outdoor enclosures with hinged doors. The sealing solution for the enclosure door is crucial because it is the weakest link in the environmental protection. The aim with this thesis is to find a robust yet versatile sealing solution for Ericsson outdoor cabinets. The sealing solution does not only concern the gasket design, it is in fact the entire principle when it comes to seal the door. Interesting features are choice of locking system, the positions of the hinges and other details which might affect the sealing of the enclosure door. The project includes the whole product development process from pre-study to concept development and evaluation of proposal design. The pre-study contain extensive literature research, benchmark and a state of the art investigation. A number of concepts are generated, screened, compared and ranked with systematic concept development methods. At last, one final concept is selected for further development. The chosen sealing solution is refined and a functional model is made. A simple prototype of the sealing solution is designed, manufactured and tested to validate the functionality of the concept. An economical analysis is performed in order to approximate the manufacturing cost of the gasket proposed in the sealing solution and to compare the unit price for different batch sizes. The water intrusion test indicates that the solution seems promising and that the result is a simple and robust sealing solution that easily can be implemented on various enclosure types. / Inom telecom-industrin finns det många typer av hårdvara som är konstruerad för att placeras utomhus. Många av dessa utomhusprodukter innehåller känslig elektronisk utrustning och alla dessa konstruktioner måste fungera i extrema miljöer. De kan monteras på marken, på väggar eller på master på olika höjder. De måste vara täta och skyddade mot snöstormar, fukt, sandstormar, jordbävningar, damm och liknande föroreningar eller naturfenomen för att säkerställa en tillförlitlig och korrekt funktion hos anordningen. För att begränsa detta examensarbete är fokus helt inställt på utomhusskåp med gångjärnsupphända dörrar. Tätningslösningen för skåpdörren är kritisk eftersom den utgör den svagaste länken i väderskyddet. Målet med detta examensarbete är att hitta en robust men samtidigt mångsidig lösning för Ericssons utomhuskabinet. Tätningslösningen handlar inte enbart om packningsutformningen utan den täcker faktiskt hela principen för hur dörren tätas. Intressanta delar är val av lås-lösning, placeringen av gångjärnen och andra detaljer som kan påverka tätningen av skåpsdörren. Projektet behandlar hela produktutvecklingsprocessen från förstudie till konceptutveckling och utvärdering av föreslagen konstruktion. Förstudien innehöll en utförlig litteraturstudie, en ”benchmark” och en ”state of the art” undersökning. Ett antal koncept genererades, kontrollerades, jämfördes och rankades med hjälp av systematiska konceptutvecklingsmetoder. Till sist valdes ett slutgiltigt koncept ut för vidare utveckling. Den valda tätningslösningen förfinades och en funktionsmodell byggdes. En enkel prototyp av tätningslösningen konstruerades, tillverkades och testades för att validera funktionen hos konceptet. En ekonomisk analys utfördes för att uppskatta tillverkningskostnaden för den föreslagna packningen i tätningslösningen och för att jämföra enhetspriset för olika seriestorlekar. Ett vattentäthetstest visar att lösningen verkar lovande och att resultatet är en enkel och robust tätningslösning som på ett enkelt sätt kan implementeras på olika skåpstyper.

Windy Scandinavia is the manufacturer of the luxury yacht Windy 52 Xanthos. There is a storage application in the aft sofa on the boat that doesn’t live up to the standard and functionality level that Windy represents. This report describes the mechanical design process of this storage application, which currently has bad functionality and is expensive for Windy in production. The aim of the project was to develop the existing storage application to a low cost application. Simple and effective for Windy to produce and assemble, with the directives of access to the front or from above to the sofa. A feasibility study of the existing application was made to get a picture of disadvantages and advantages to keep for further concepts. The concept development included three steps; each step implied further development in level of detail. Starting with a range of concepts covering all different possibilities of access to the storage space, and ending up with a couple of concepts developed in detail with costs and knowledge of productions methods. The result became a standard application; a hatch with gas dampers. The reasons why this became the result was because of the low cost, simplicity and functionality. Small modifications of existing moulds and no new components or production methods needed. Conclusion of the result is that it fulfils the requirement specification and thereby is a proper result. The conceptual design phase generated many different concepts, from these concepts a result satisfying the requirements emerged.

The task given by Balco AB was to redesign the productsystem ”vikglas utan ram” and to make the shutter able to go pass a corner. Today the shutter can only be moved sideways. A prototype to test the shutter concept will be made. The final product will be used in Balco AB:s existing product family as a new product or as a choice. The shutter solution shall give a feeling of quality and easiness to fit in. A few of the demands to achieve this goal is by using special made shutter attachments and the use of bearings. The new shutter attachment has to be safe, reliable and have a low noise level. / Uppgiften som beställdes av Balco AB gick ut på att omkonstruera deras ”vikglas utan ram” system för att få fönsterluckan att gå förbi ett balkonghörn. Idag kan luckan endast föras i sidled. En prototyp avsedd för att testa ut lucka förbi hörn konceptet skall utvecklas. Slutprodukten skall användas i Balco AB:s befintliga produktsortiment som en ny produkt eller som ett tillval. Lucklösningen skall inge en viss känsla av kvalité och smidighet för att passa in. Några av kraven som ställs för att uppnå denna känsla är bland annat specialdesignade infästen till luckan samt nyttjande av kullager. Den nya inästningsanordningen skall även vara säker och pålitlig samt ha en tyst arbetsgång.

A protection helmet for young people (3-7 years) in winter environment has been developed in this thesis. The result is a concept proposal for development at STIGA Sports AB in Eskilstuna. This thesis work has been performed during 20 weeks, for a Master of Science in Product and Process development at Mälardalen University Eskilstuna Sweden in September 2009 to January 2010. The helmet is shown as a CAD model with detailed solutions to the outer shell, interior and adjustability (in sizes 50-56 cm) which are the three focused areas in the development. Also a physical model in scale 1:1 has been developed and is shown in this thesis work. To achieve the best result possible the process started with an analysis of the market and the product. All decisions during the development process were made according to European Standard SS EN 1080 Impact protection helmets for young people, which are the requirements necessary for market interest, security and to be CE approved. In the product development process scientific methods have been used to guarantee quality. A function analysis and a product specification formed the basis of the QFD tool, which measured the concept in relation to the requirements and existing products on the market. The analysis of current competitors on the market combined with a SWOT analysis showed that there is potential for STIGA Sports AB to develop a play helmet. That since there is only one direct competitor on the market today. Due to the fact that they do not have their own product development department it is, in a safety perspective, important for STIGA Sports AB to keep a continuous contact with the production. It will guarantee the product’s quality and meet all the requirements of SS EN 1080. A product decomposition was performed to understand the construction of a helmet. Eight developed concepts led, through an evaluation of three concepts with the highest ranking score, to one final combined concept. The concept consists of a two-piece outer shell for the ability to adjust size and a three-piece interior to ensure comfort and safety regarding the essential parts of the head (forehead, rear, sides, temples and crown of the head). The shape and color have been chosen with the intention to appeal the user (children) and at the same time provide a feeling of safety to the purchaser (adults). Stiga Sports AB current product range and design profile has influenced the design throughout the project. / En lekhjälm för användning vid vintermiljö har i detta examensarbete tagits fram. Resultatet är ett konceptförslag för utveckling inom STIGA Sports AB i Eskilstuna. Arbetet har utförts som ett examensarbete på 30 Högskolepoäng för civilingenjör inom produkt- och processutveckling på Mälardalens högskola i Eskilstuna september 2009- januari 2010. Hjälmen visas som en CAD-modell med detaljerade lösningar på ytterskal, inredning och ställbarhet (storlek 50-56 cm), de tre områdena har varit fokus i arbetet. För att arbeta fram bästa resultat har omvärlden och produkten först bearbetats och analyserats. Dessutom har en modell i skala 1:1 tagits fram och visas i detta examensarbete. Besluten i arbetet har Europeiska Standarden SS EN 1080 Impact protection helmets for young people legat till grund för få produkten i de riktlinjer och följa de krav som krävs för godkännande på marknaden i säkerhet och därmed vara CE-godkänd. I produktutvecklingsprocessen och konceptskapandet har vetenskapliga metoder använts för att säkerhetsställa att rätt arbete utförs. En funktionsanalys har uppförts och en kravspecifikation på produkten, dessa verktyg har legat till grund för metodverktyget QFD, som använts för att mäta konceptet i förhållande till krav och befintliga produkter på marknaden. För att ta reda på hur marknaden ser ut har omvärlden bevakats genom en konkurrentanalys och SWOT-analys samt informationsökning på företaget. Resultatet visade på att det finns potential för STIGA Sports AB att ge sig ut på marknaden med en lekhjälm eftersom att det idag bara finns en direkt konkurrent på marknaden. I säkerhetsåsyn så är det viktigt att STIGA Sports AB har en fortlöpande kontakt med tillverkningen för att säkerhetsställa detaljutvecklingen och kvalitén av konceptet för att möjliggöra att produkten klarar alla krav enligt SS EN 1080. I kombination har det varit viktigt att förstå hur en hjälm är uppbyggd och därför har en produktnedbrytning utförts. Arbetet med produktnedbrytningen i samband med litteratursökning och kunskapsinhämtning gav tre områden att rikta produktutvecklingen kring; yttre skal, inredning och ställbarhet. Efter koncept hade tagits fram har värdering av de olika koncepten lett till att produkten har fått ett tvådelat ytterskal som medger ställbarhet på enklaste sätt med en tredelad inredning för att skydda och ge komfort till de viktigaste delar på huvudet. Färg och form har valts utifrån användaren för att tilltala den primära användaren barnet och förmedla säkerhet till den primära köparen vuxna. Samtidigt har Stiga Sports nuvarande produktsortiment och designprofil utgjort de val som påverkat formgivningen.