This Master thesis deals with the requirements for the quality of ISO standard compliant pneumatic cylinders, which are machined and assembled by a local manufacturer. According to the philosophy of continuous improvement, this thesis describes the project to decrease the number of air leaks detected by automatic testing machines. The main benefits of the thesis are the improvement of the design of pneumatic cylinders and the improvement of their assembly procedure leading to a reduction in the number of air leaks from pneumatic cylinders on automatic test equipment. It also provides an overview and general procedure for selecting, analyzing, implementing measures and taking further opportunities to improve the quality management system of pneumatic cylinders in the company.

La pandemia Covid 19 ha traído consigo cambios en el comportamiento de los consumidores en el rubro de las cafeterías. Para evitar el contagio en los establecimientos, las cafeterías han optado por tomar una serie de precauciones para brindar seguridad a los consumidores y mantener sus negocios. Esta investigación realiza el análisis de las nuevas características más relevantes de los consumidores reflejadas en su comportamiento, obteniendo como resultado el incentivo o la reducción de su consumo en las cafeterías. Mediante una recopilación de información, se analiza el desempeño de la calidad de servicio e imagen de la marca, variables que están influidas por determinados aspectos como la higiene y medidas de saneamiento, formando parte de las expectativas de los consumidores que posteriormente, forman parte de la satisfacción que tengan con la marca. Los hallazgos de esta investigación revelan que existe un riesgo percibido de parte de los clientes al asistir a lugares públicos por por temor a la propagación del Covid 19, pero dichos riesgos se mitigan con las medidas implementadas por cada uno de los establecimientos, causando un impacto positivo al desempeño de la calidad de servicio y mejorando el comportamiento de los consumidores, quienes pueden adaptarse a la nueva normalidad. / The Covid 19 pandemic has brought about changes in consumer behavior in the cafeteria industry. To avoid contagion in establishments, coffee shops have chosen to take a series of precautions to provide security for consumers and maintain their businesses. This research carries out the analysis of the most relevant new characteristics of consumers reflected in their behavior, obtaining as a result the incentive or reduction of their consumption in coffee shops. Through a compilation of information, the performance of the quality of service and image of the brand is analyzed, variables that are influenced by certain aspects such as hygiene and sanitation measures, forming part of the expectations of consumers that later become part of the satisfaction they have with the brand. The findings of this research reveal that there is a perceived risk on the part of customers when attending public places for fear of the spread of Covid 19, but these risks are mitigated with the measures implemented by each of the establishments , causing a positive impact on the performance of the quality of service and improving the behavior of consumers, who can adapt to the new normal. / Trabajo de investigación

El presente trabajo tiene como finalidad identificar las variables imagen de marca, calidad percibida del producto, el boca a boca electrónico y el país de origen en relación a la intención de compra en la categoría de electrodomésticos. Por lo cual, se tomará en cuenta diferentes papers relacionados con las variables en mención para poder analizarlos y encontrar diferentes relaciones entre ellas. Asimismo, se plantean diferentes hipótesis que ayudarán a seguir enriqueciendo la investigación cómo también se podrá conocer si estas cumplen con los objetivos planteados. / The present document aims to identify the variables brand image, perceived product quality, electronic word of mouth and country of origin in relation to purchase intention in the home appliances category. Therefore, different papers related to the mentioned variables will be taken into account in order to analyze them and find different relationships between them. In addition, different hypotheses are proposed that will help to continue enriching the research and to find out if they meet the objectives set out. / Trabajo de investigación

Las empresas se enfrentan a más competidores y tienen la necesidad de diferenciarse y no solo adaptarse para obtener la preferencia del público. Es así que los formatos de tiendas de conveniencia brindan una inmediatez y cercanía para la compra. Estas empresas deben dirigir esfuerzos a generar satisfacción en el cliente sobre todo de la generación Millennial que tienen necesidades particulares. Por ello, la investigación realizada busca determinar el efecto del tiempo de espera, atributos de tienda y calidad del servicio en la satisfacción del cliente de la generación Millennial. El enfoque utilizado fue de tipo cuantitativo, de alcance correlacional - causal, y de corte transversal y la herramienta utilizada fue la encuesta, se realizaron 464 cuestionarios. Entre los principales hallazgos están que Tambo fue la tienda más visitada por los clientes encuestados. Además, se concluye que el tiempo de espera, los atributos de tienda y la calidad de servicio sí afectan en la satisfacción del cliente con un 95% de confianza. Del mismo modo, se puede observar que la calidad de servicio es el factor más relevante y que el precio tiene un coeficiente negativo en la satisfacción del cliente, lo que se explica de manera positiva, ya que a menor precio mayor es la satisfacción del cliente. Por último, se afirma que los clientes tienen predisposición a esperar en cola, pero que al momento de elegir la opción de compra optarán por el establecimiento que les genere un menor tiempo de espera. / Companies face more competitors and have the need to differentiate themselves and not just adapt to obtain the preference of the public. Thus, the formats of convenience stores provide immediacy and closeness to the purchase. These companies must direct efforts to generate customer satisfaction, especially for the Millennial generation who have particular needs. For this reason, the research carried out seeks to determine the effect of waiting time, store attributes and service quality on customer satisfaction of the Millennial generation. The approach used was quantitative, correlational-causal, and cross-sectional and the tool used was the survey, 464 questionnaires were performed. Among the main findings are that Tambo was the most visited store by the surveyed customers. In addition, it is concluded that waiting time, store attributes and quality of service do affect customer satisfaction with 95% confidence. In the same way, it can be observed that the quality of service is the most relevant factor and that the price has a negative coefficient on customer satisfaction, which is explained in a positive way, since the lower the price, the higher the customer satisfaction. Finally, it is stated that customers have a predisposition to wait in line, but that when choosing the purchase option, they will opt for the establishment that generates the least waiting time. / Tesis

A rapidly changing environment for industrial technology companies operating on a global market has increased the competitiveness and accelerated the rate of new technologies. The demands on companies to be more efficient and innovative without compromising quality are thereby enlarged. To maintain competitiveness and meet customer expectation a well-functioning product development is essential. Correcting product quality issues on newly developed products becomes increasingly more expensive the later it takes place in the development process and problems that arise can often be linked to the product design. In order to secure that new product development projects efficiently can deliver high quality products without compromising cost targets and time-to-market Design Assurance can be applied during the product development. The intention is to uncover and detect problems in the design and prevent errors to occur in the engineering process, by executing controls to assure design has been completed according to standards and policies.  This project aims to investigate Design Assurance to further establish the concept at Alfa Laval BU HSS and describe how product quality is assured in product development. Analysis of literature studies, interviews at Alfa Laval BU HSS as well as benchmarking at three companies; Atlas Copco Industrial Technique, Getinge (Maquet Critical Care division) and Tetra Pak, provide the basis of the results in this study. The results show there are a number of factors greatly influencing an organization’s ability to ensure product quality in product development. Key factors identified in this study are cross functional team work, the internal culture in the organization, firmly established product strategies, product development processes and requirement management and validation capability. These factors can be seen as essential conditions for ensuring product quality during development and prerequisites for establishing Design Assurance at Alfa Laval BU HSS. Key building blocks in the Design Assurance capability are identified and described, which include reviews of actions and project documentation that safeguards continuous improvements and prevent future deficiencies. The Design Assurance activities are identified as documentation management, change management, risk assessments, nonconformance management, product quality follow up and lessons learned. / Dagens industritekniska företag verkar i en global miljö med snabba förändringar, vilket har bidragit till ökad konkurrens och accelererat hastigheten för ny teknik. Därmed har även kraven på företagen att bli mer effevtiva och innovativa, utan att kompromissa med produktens kvalitet, ökat. En väl-fungerande produktutveckling är nödvändig för att bibehålla konkurrenskraft och möta kundernas förväntningar. Ju senare produkters kvalitetsproblem upptäcks och rättas till under utvecklings-processen desto dyrare är det och problemen härstammar ofta från produktens konstruktion. För att säkerställa att nyutvecklingsprojekt effektivt kan leverera högkvalitativa produkter utan att påverka kostnadsmål eller time-to-market, kan Design Assurance tillämpas under produktutvecklingen. Avsikten är att upptäcka, identifiera och förebygga brister i konstruktionen som kan orsaka problem senare under utvecklingen, genom att utföra kontroller för att säkerställa att konstruktionen uppfyller standarder, anvisningar och andra krav. Denna uppsats syftar till att undersöka Design Assurance för att ytterligare etablera konceptet på Alfa Laval BU HSS och beskriva hur produktkvaliteten säkras under produktutvecklingen. Analys av litteraturstudier, intervjuer på Alfa Laval BU HSS samt benchmarking vid tre företag; Atlas Copco Industriteknik, Getinge Maquet Critical Care divisionen och Tetra Pak, utgör grunden för resultatet i denna studie. Resultatet visar att det finns ett antal faktorer som i hög grad påverkar en organisations förmåga att säkerställa produkternas kvalitet i produktutvecklingen. Nyckelfaktorer har i denna studie identifierats som tvärfunktionellt arbete, den interna kulturen på företaget, väl förankrade produkt-strategier, processer inom produktutveckling samt kravhantering och valideringsförmågan under utvecklingen. Dessa faktorer kan ses som nödvändiga förutsättningar för att säkerställa produktkvalitet under produktutveckling och därmed förutsättningar för att framgångsrikt etablera Design Assurance på Alfa Laval BU HSS. Slutligen är de centrala delarna för att genomföra och applicera Design Assurance identifierade och beskrivna, vilka innefattar granskning av handlingar och projektdokument som säkerställer ständiga förbättringar och förebygger framtida brister. Design Assurance-aktiviteter är identifierade som kontroll av korrekt dokumentering, hantering av ändringar, avvikelsehantering, riskbedömningar, uppföljning av produktkvalitet och lärdomar under produktutvecklingsprojektet.

The manufacturing industry has become very competitive in today's global market environment. Many US companies are faced with the choice of keeping their manufacturing domestic or looking to low cost off-shore countries to take advantage of the labor costs differences. To gain an understanding of the state of manufacturing in China, a major focus in the manufacturing world today, this thesis was undertaken. This thesis presents the findings of research conducted in Guangdong Province, China in June - July, 2005. This research addressed customer focus, leadership and general manufacturing and quality knowledge and practices of small, medium and large sized companies in Guangdong Province, China. Customer focus and leadership are two of the eight fundamental principles of the ISO 9000:2000 family of standards. These two principles, customer focus and leadership, were selected for the foundational role they play in any organization. Companies that are customer focused and have good leadership principles and practices should tend to give quality a priority for the product/service they provide to their customers. The aim of this thesis was to determine if there is a significant difference in the way small, medium and large companies are aligned with these two fundamental principles. Data regarding customer focus, leadership, and general manufacturing and quality knowledge and practices was collected from 41 manufacturing companies in Guangdong Province, China through the use of a survey, interviews and observation. At the conclusion of this thesis, a summary of the findings regarding the aim of the thesis is presented along with a confirmation and questioning of previous research completed.

This study examines the development of Volvo Group Trucks Operations Powertrain Production (Volvo GTO PTP) in Skövde, focusing on the implementation of processes for new products intended for both internal and external customers. Previously, the company solely supplied products within the Volvo Group, functioning as an Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM). With the opportunity to adhere to the supplier-specific quality standard IATF 16949:2016, an extension of the ISO 9001:2015 quality standard. Volvo GTO PTP aims to enhance product and process development through the adoption of the Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP) method. Unlike the existing project models, Develop Product and Aftermarket Product Portfolio (DVP) and Project Steering Model (PSM), used by Volvo GTO PTP, the APQP method validates product and process development together.   This study investigates the relationship between the current project models, DVP and PSM, and the APQP model, identifying areas within APQP that require further development. Interviews and thematic analysis were conducted to assess the current state of APQP, with an evaluation matrix employed for quantitative analysis. Findings reveal a knowledge gap within Volvo GTO PTP, wherein comprehension of APQP activities and their correlation with DVP and PSM is lacking. Critical activities for execution and management within the APQP model include measurement system analysis (MSA), checking aids, records of customer-specific requirements, part submission warrant, and Production Part Approval Process (PPAP). Furthermore, organizational culture-related deficiencies contribute to the difficulties in adopting a holistic project perspective due to siloed working practices.    The integration of APQP in the existing project models is recommended to Volvo GTO PTP in Skövde, as many APQP activities are already established or easily implementable. This integration facilitates the clear definition and demonstration of interplay between different project models, clarifying deliveries and the release of product and process development. To avoid reactive approaches to problem management, it is advisable to explicitly define responsibility for risk management and activities within the APQP model. The demand for APQP activities emphasizes their interconnectedness and creates a natural flow within the project model, contributing to an improved organizational culture and understanding of APQP. Ultimately, the APQP model establishes favorable conditions for reducing quality-related costs during the introduction of new products and product changes, ensuring appropriate preparedness in quality management. Compliance with IATF 16949:2016 also offers Volvo GTO PTP in Skövde the opportunity to obtain certification.

Growing issues such as climate crises, social injustice and neglection of basic human rights have created a new type of consumption, namely ethical consumption. Ethical consumption was initially mainly concerned for environmental issues but has in later years starting to include a variety of pressing issues. Ethical consumption was also initially mainly connected to groups of extremists, but with the increasing availability of ethical products in mainstream outlets, ethical consumption has shifted to be a mainstream consumer game. Mainstream ethical consumption has largely been neglected in previous research where the field is lacking knowledge in form of qualitative behavioral data. Departing from the gap, this study will mainly focus on exploring the motives for ethical consumption in the mainstream consumer segment. We will examine several driving forces in form of altruistic-based motives, egoistic-based motives, and non-value-based motives. However, in order to give this an additional dimension we also want to examine the level of morality of ethical consumption by using five ethical theories. This approach has been overlooked in previous ethical consumption research and it will question the basic assumption that ethical consumption is the morally correct thing to do. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to explore the motivational factors for ethical consumption and through the lens of ethical theories examine the level of morality of this behavior. In order to fulfill this purpose we have conducted a qualitative study within the context of organic groceries in the Swedish market. Organic groceries is a branch of ethical consumption that few studies has examined before, and that applies especially to the Swedish market. 14 mainstream consumers have been interviewed were all of these were frequent buyers of organic groceries. The interviews were conducted in a semi-structured fashion which was then analyzed by the use of thematic analysis. Furthermore, the study was guided by an exploratory inductive approach where subjectivity played a significant part. The results show that ethical consumption is driven by altruistic-based motives in form of social justice, where consumer want their consumption to benefit other. However, it is far from the only motive because ethical consumers are equally driven by egoistic motives. The result show that consumers are driven strongly by the sense of self- satisfaction created by the force of social norms, health and wellbeing, and product quality. This duality of motives creates a paradoxical tension in form of a win-win situation where the consumers strive for both the benefit of self as well as the benefit of others. Furthermore, ethical consumption is driven by habitual behavior where the consumers rely much on mental shortcuts in their purchases. Consumers are also not well- informed about ethical products and labels and therefore rely heavily on mythical benefits. In addition, when examining the level of morality of ethical consumption we can conclude that it is on level between mediocre to high. From a consequentialist and a non- consequentialist perspective the level of morality is fairly high, but from a character-based perspective the morality stumbles.

<a>Global trends and factors, such as the increased level of globalization, climate change, resource scarcity, and awareness of social and environmental responsibilities, as well as fiercer competition and lower profit margins in all industries, force organizations to act to retain, regain, or sustain their competitive advantages for long-term survival. These trends and factors are historically known to bring about innovations that drive the evolution of industries. Sustainability is considered to be such an innovation to achieve fiscally sound, environmentally conscious, and socially progressive organizations and supply chains. Sustainable Development and Sustainability notions are among trending topics of 21st century. Elevated sustainability concerns of various stakeholders have been forcing members of all industries to evolve into their more environmentally and socially responsible versions. This study was initiated through a comprehensive literature review phase that reviewed 477 articles published in five major databases from 1990 to 2018. The purpose of this review was to assess the current state-of-the art on the subject of lean-driven sustainability. Based on descriptive and contextual analysis, synergies, divergences, and the extent of two-way permeability of lean and sustainability concepts from the perspective of intra- and inter-organizational operations were identified along with future research opportunities. Fundamental strengths and weaknesses of both concepts, existing strong synergies and untapped potential, along with their key contributors, the potential-use cases of lean tools to derive sustainable solutions are highlighted in this review. Next, based on the findings of systematic literature review, an innovative, holistic, versatile and scalable tool was developed to assess and benchmark sustainability performance of organizations and supply chains. The proposed framework was established upon trivet structure of Triple Bottom Line philosophy and fueled by Lean, Six-Sigma and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodologies for accurate and effective measurement of sustainability performance. Completeness of the framework was ensured through development of first-generation Key Performance Indicator (KPI) pool with 33 indicators, a unique work environment assessment mechanism for safety and environmental protection issues in terms of 11 risk categories and by construction of an ownership structure for ease of framework deployment. Proposed framework is expected to help with true sustainability performance improvement and benchmarking objectives at a range of business levels from facility to sectoral operations. Upon completion of the development phase, the Sustainability Benchmarking Tool (SBT) Framework was validated at the facility level within the context of value-added wood products manufacturing. Strengths and weaknesses of the system were identified within the scope of Bronze Frontier maturity level of the framework and tackled through a six-step analytical and quantitative reasoning methodology. The secondary objective of the validation phase was to document how value-added wood products industries can take advantage of natural properties of wood to become frontiers of sustainability innovation. In the end, True Sustainability performance of the target facility was improved by 2.37 base points, while economic and environmental performance was increased from being a system weakness to achieving an acceptable index score benchmark of 8.41 and system strength level of 9.31, respectively. Social sustainability score increased by 2.02 base points as a function of better gender bias ratio. The financial performance of the system improved from a 33% loss to 46.23% profit in the post-improvement state. Reductions in CO₂ emissions (55.16%), energy consumption (50.31%), solid waste generation (72.03%), non-value-added-time (89.30%) and cost performance (64.77%) were other significant achievements of the study. In the end, SBT Framework was successfully validated at the facility level and target facility evolved into its leaner, cleaner and more responsible version of itself. Furthermore, manufacturing industries of all sorts are key stakeholders, which rely on universities to satisfy the demand for competent workforce. Society also expects universities to educate youth and contribute to their self-development by achieving both, scientific and intellectual knowledge saturation. To expand the contribution of the study to the body of knowledge in the fields of Sustainability and Modern Management techniques, an undergraduate level course curriculum that integrates modern management techniques and sustainability concepts with wood products industry dynamics was developed. Students’ pre- and post-education awareness of, and familiarity with sustainability, potential consequences of ignored sustainability issues, modern management techniques, global trends, innovation waves, and industry evolution were compared through a seventeen-question survey. Results showed that course content was successful at increasing sustainability awareness at both overall and individual sustainability pillar levels, At the end, 100% of students were able to develop complete understanding of various modern management techniques and stated that they felt confident to apply learnt skills to real life issues within their profession upon graduation. Overall, this study empirically documented how synergies between Lean, Sustainability, Six-Sigma and Life Cycle Assessment concepts outweigh their divergences, demonstrated viability of SBT Framework and presented a proven example of modern management techniques powered transdisciplinary sustainability curriculum.</a>

L’industrie microélectronique est un domaine compétitif, confronté de manière permanente à plusieurs défis. Pour évaluer les étapes de fabrication, des tests de qualité sont appliqués. Ces tests étant discontinus, une défaillance des équipements peut causer une dégradation de la qualité du produit. Des alarmes peuvent être déclenchées pour indiquer des problèmes. D’autre part, on dispose d’une grande quantité de données des équipements obtenues à partir de capteurs. Une gestion des alarmes, une interpolation de mesures de qualité et une réduction de données équipements sont nécessaires. Il s’agit dans notre travail à développer des méthodes génériques d’analyse multi-variée permettant d’agréger toutes les informations disponibles sur les équipements pour prédire la qualité de produit en prenant en compte la qualité des différentes étapes de fabrication. En se basant sur le principe de reconnaissance de formes, nous avons proposé une approche pour prédire le nombre de produits restant à produire avant les pertes de performance liée aux spécifications clients en fonction des indices de santé des équipement. Notre approche permet aussi d'isoler les équipements responsables de dégradation. En plus, une méthodologie à base de régression régularisée est développée pour prédire la qualité du produit tout en prenant en compte les relations de corrélations et de dépendance existantes dans le processus. Un modèle pour la gestion des alarmes est construit où des indices de criticité et de similarité sont proposés. Les données alarmes sont ensuite utilisées pour prédire le rejet de produits. Une application sur des données industrielles provenant de STMicroelectronics est fournie. / The microelectronics industry is a highly competitive field, constantly confronted with several challenges. To evaluate the manufacturing steps, quality tests are applied during and at the end of production. As these tests are discontinuous, a defect or failure of the equipment can cause a deterioration in the product quality and a loss in the manufacturing Yield. Alarms are setting off to indicate problems, but periodic alarms can be triggered resulting in alarm flows. On the other hand, a large quantity of data of the equipment obtained from sensors is available. Alarm management, interpolation of quality measurements and reduction of correlated equipment data are required. We aim in our work to develop generic methods of multi-variate analysis allowing to aggregate all the available information (equipment health indicators, alarms) to predict the product quality taking into account the quality of the various manufacturing steps. Based on the pattern recognition principle, data of the degradation trajectory are compared with health indices for failing equipment. The objective is to predict the remaining number of products before loss of the performance related to customer specifications, and the isolation of equipment responsible for degradation. In addition, regression- ased methods are used to predict the product quality while taking into account the existing correlation and the dependency relationships in the process. A model for the alarm management is constructed where criticality and similarity indices are proposed. Then, alarm data are used to predict the product scrap. An application to industrial data from STMicroelectronics is provided.