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  • About
  • The Global ETD Search service is a free service for researchers to find electronic theses and dissertations. This service is provided by the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations.
    Our metadata is collected from universities around the world. If you manage a university/consortium/country archive and want to be added, details can be found on the NDLTD website.
1

Critical Factors for Production Ramp-up in High Technology Companies : A case study at an aerospace company

Svensson, Philip, Blom, Johannes January 2019 (has links)
Purpose - A research gap was identified in relation to the production related factors during ramp-up. Therefore, the purpose of the study was to “simplify production ramp-up by defining how measures could be prioritised in high technology company.” Method – The study used a single-case study method with a qualitative and explorative approach. This method was used to gain in-depth knowledge of the case. The study was conducted at Saab, a high technology company within the aerospace industry. Findings – The findings included a list of critical factors for ramp-up control and two additional critical factors that are relevant to high technology companies, along with five additional measures. From the case the main critical factors were related to personnel, education and experience. Implications – The study has contributed with a simplified ramp-up control method with implications for high technology industries. The new method will contribute to a more effective time to volume phase relevant for both practitioners and researchers. Limitations - As the study uses a new ramp-up control method it has only been applied to one case. The complete data from the case cannot be showcased due to secrecy.
2

Ensuring high-quality production during commissioning and ramp-up : A case study at Northvolt

Eklund, Henrik, Engström, Jacob January 2021 (has links)
Rechargeable lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) have generated a shift in the automotive industry towards electric vehicles (EVs) instead of vehicles powered by fossil fuels. As a result, the demand for LIBs is only expected to grow in the future due to an increased demand for passenger EVs. Consequently, LIB manufacturers have to increase their production to meet the increasing demand. Northvolt is a Swedish LIB manufacturer founded in 2016, aiming to start the production of LIBs at the Northvolt Ett factory in Skellefteå during 2021. The Northvolt Ett factory will be one of the largest battery plants in Europe, supplying battery cells for both commercial and domestic use. Poorly manufactured battery cells can potentially cause hazardous events, such as fires or explosions, further supporting the need for high quality batteries. Consequently, requirements from customers and industry standards are high in terms of product quality control through e.g. measurement system analysis (MSA), statistical process control (SPC), and capability analysis. Furthermore, previous research has highlighted issues during commissioning and ramp-up of production, potentially occurring at Northvolt Ett.  The purpose of this study has been to describe how high-quality production can be ensured and maintained during and after commissioning. The study has been conducted as a qualitative case study at Northvolt Ett, focusing on qualification of the coating process. The basis for the study was to examine previous research on quality assurance from other industries, analyze automotive standards, and gather learnings from the pilot production at Northvolt Labs in Västerås. Unstructured interviews were conducted with Northvolt staff to understand what had previously been done related to quality assurance for Coating.  The learnings from Northvolt Labs highlighted a clear focus on preventive actions, such as establishing a Design-FMEA, Process-FMEA, and a Control Plan for the coating process. However, room for improvement was identified in terms of process improvement and control, since the lack of SPC has yielded unreliable results from the performed capability analysis. In addition, previous research has shown that preventive actions should be combined with actions for process improvement to reach full-scale production quickly. Thus, recommendations have been made for Northvolt to implement a clear strategy for product qualification through SPC and capability analysis, as a complement to the preventive actions. The recommendations include specific propositions for validation of the coating process and a general framework for process validation through MSA, SPC, and capability analysis. The presented recommendations can help Northvolt perform successful commissioning of the processes at Northvolt Ett and can also be useful for process validation in other manufacturing industries. / Laddningsbara litium-jon-batterier (LIB:s) har skapat en omställning i bilindustrin mot eldrivna fordon istället för fordon som drivs av fossila bränslen. Som en konsekvens väntas efterfrågan av LIB:s bara att öka i framtiden på grund av en ökad efterfrågan på eldrivna passagerarfordon. LIB-tillverkare måste därför öka sin produktion för att möta den växande efterfrågan. Northvolt är en svensk LIB-tillverkare som grundades 2016, med sikte på att starta produktionen av LIB:s vid fabriken Northvolt Ett i Skellefteå under 2021. Fabriken Northvolt Ett kommer att vara en av de största batterifabrikerna i Europa och leverera battericeller för både kommersiell och privat användning. Dåligt tillverkade battericeller kan potentiellt orsaka allvarliga händelser som bränder eller explosioner, vilket vidare stödjer behovet av batterier med hög kvalitet. Till följd av detta är kraven från standarder och tillverkare inom bilindustrin höga i termer av kvalitetskontroll av produkter genom t.ex. mätsystemanalys (MSA), statistisk processtyrning (SPS), och duglighetsanalys. Vidare visar tidigare forskning på problem som kan uppstå under driftsättning och upprampning av produktion, vilka potentiellt kan uppstå för Northvolt Ett.  Syftet med denna studie har varit att beskriva hur högkvalitativ produktion kan säkerställas och upprätthållas under och efter driftsättning. Studien har genomförts som en kvalitativ fallstudie vid Northvolt Ett med fokus på kvalifikation av coating-processen. Utgångspunkten för studien har varit att undersöka tidigare forskning inom kvalitetssäkring från andra industrier, analysera standarder från bilindustrin, och hämta in lärdomar från pilotproduktionen vid Northvolt Labs i Västerås. Ostrukturerade intervjuer genomfördes med anställda på Northvolt för att öka förståelsen för vad som tidigare gjorts relaterat till kvalitetssäkring för Coating.  Lärdomarna från Northvolt Labs visade ett tydligt fokus på förebyggande åtgärder, som upprättande av en Design-FMEA, Process-FMEA, och en kontrollplan för coating-processen. Dock identifierades ett förbättringsområde inom åtgärder för processförbättring och kontroll, då avsaknaden av SPS har genererat opålitliga resultat från den genomförda duglighetsanalysen. Vidare har tidigare forskning visat att förebyggande åtgärder borde kombineras med åtgärder för processförbättring för att snabbt uppnå fullskalig produktion. Rekommendationer har därför tagits fram till Northvolt för att implementera en tydlig strategi för produktkvalifikation genom SPS och duglighetsanalys, som ett komplement till de förebyggande åtgärderna. Dessa rekommendationer inkluderar specifika förslag för validering av coating-processen samt ett generellt ramverk för processvalidering genom MSA, SPS, och duglighetsanalys. De presenterade rekommendationerna kan hjälpa Northvolt att genomföra en framgångsrik driftsättning av processerna på Northvolt Ett och kan även vara användbara för processvalidering i andra tillverkningsindustrier.
3

Understanding the Problems in Volume Production and their Connections to Management of New Product Introduction Projects : A Case Study of the Project Management Factors and the Appurtenant Production Effects from Ramp-Up of New Product in Production for Contract Electronics Manufacturing

Frost, Niclas January 2016 (has links)
The ongoing globalization of companies has resulted in a highly competitive business climate where companies have to be cost-effective but still flexible with fast response to customer feedback and present in the international scene. In order to meet the fast paced technological development from the competition and changing demand of the customers, companies focus on creating new products and reducing their time-to-market with an early product launch to gain profits from increased market shares. However, in order to maintain profitability of the new product, it becomes even more important for the company to quickly deploy a full-scale production of the product, also known as the production ramp-up phase. Despite being known as a major cost driver in new product development projects, production ramp-up is a research area which have yet received sparse attention compared to research on product launch and time-to-market in new product development projects. However, with shorter product life-cycles and higher market competition it has resulted in a need to shorten the length of a new product’s ramp-up time without making any trade-off to the cost-effectiveness of the ramp-up project and the end product’s final quality. The study identifies the common problems in volume production of a contract electronics manufacturer and their sources of disturbances from the new product introduction process. It also identifies the factors influencing the new product introduction process at the company and how these factors are connected different sources of disturbances. To identify these findings, a single case study was designed and performed at Orbit One AB, a contract electronics manufacturer with a low-volume production of products. The data collection course was executed in an iterative manner over a period of four months through interviews, observation and internal documentation and was backed up and analyzed with a literature study. The data collection through interviews was carried out in two separate rounds, where the first round of interviews was focused on identifying the common problems in volume production and the second round was focused on the factors influencing the output from the new product introduction process. The discoveries from the interviews were analyzed together with the other sources of collected data to reach a conclusive analysis. The results of the study showed that the most common problems in volume production of the company could be traced to six different sources of disturbances: Product, Production System, Design-Production Interface, Quality, Resource Management, and Personnel. The most common problems could also be summarized as: Problems with manufacturability of product; High variation of process performance, Poor correctness of information, Quality issues with products, and High workload on resources. The factors identified in the findings of the study shows that there are multiple and connected factors which affects the final output of the new product introduction process which corroborates with earlier studies and research in the area of production ramp-up. The study did identify two factors which has not been identified by other ramp-up studies, these were: Lack of organizational project culture and customer flexibility.
4

Production ramp-down strategy : Optimisation of production ramp-down at Scania Engine Assembly

Otteblad, Gustav, Svensson, Jakob January 2022 (has links)
In the light of the increasing demands and competition in the automotive industry to rapidly introduce new products to the market, management of production ramp-ups and production ramp-downs has become a new decisive competitive factor. For this reason, a well-designed strategy has become essential to succeed. For Scania Engine Assembly, this novel challenge is underway in the form of a ramp-down of the old assembly line (DL) and simultaneous ramp-up of the new assembly line (DW). This is to deliver the new and more sustainable engine platform Super. DL consists of a basic assembly and a final assembly (TMS-line), where the latter was the focus of this thesis project. Since the transition is already put in motion, there is an urgent need for the establishment of a production ramp-down strategy stretching until the complete transition. Therefore, this project was initiated to develop an optimal strategy of the production ramp-down with regard to interconnected projects and functions, as well as to the factors of economics, efficiency, ergonomics, and quality. The project also aimed to establish an ideal project progression regarding the management and implementation of the strategy. Considering that the TMS-line involves 59 workstations, more than 200 personnel daily, 10 engine types with unique variants, different technical systems, and must align with multiple operational functions, a comprehensive and considered strategy was essential. An additional objective was to reduce the gap in research between production ramp-up and production ramp-down. Although, the interest of production ramp-up has increased considerably in the last two decades, that of production ramp-down still remains widely neglected, despite their similar importance. Hence, the project aimed not only to contribute to Scania, but also to contribute with empirical data to future research in production ramp-down. Altogether, the reduction in the research gap can contribute to more sustainable production systems. To achieve the project objective and aims, a substantial literature review was conducted and a wide array of scientific methods were used. The literature review established a basis for the project, and brought theories from multiple languages and standpoints together to culminate in a comprehensive understanding of production ramp-down. The scientific methods were used to gather empirical data and to design the strategy. In addition, relevant expertise was incorporated throughout the project by a continuous cooperation with Scania employees of different roles and specialisations. The project also followed Scania’s change process to facilitate the realisation of the strategy. In total, three distinctive strategy concepts were generated and evaluated, called Alpha, Beta, and Gamma. Then, after a systematic evaluation process, a combination of Alpha and Gamma was designed in detail to form the final strategy. The strategy can be described as a stepwise capacity reduction. The first step is the planning and preparation for the necessary competence shift, organisational changes, and technical solutions. In the second step, a new takt and work standard corresponding to 50% capacity is implemented. Also, a decision regarding the final production years is made to either offshore production, change layout, or continue without change. The third step involves major structural changes in the form of a new organisational structure and the implementation of a technical solution for a permanent 50% capacity reduction. Similarly, in the fourth step, the technical solution is adjusted and a new work standard is implemented to correspond to a 33% capacity need. The fifth step regards the phase-out of the TMS-line, which completes the transition between DL and DW. Finally, the sixth step includes the revitalisation of the freed-up operational area and recycling of production equipment and materials. Altogether, the strategy ensures an optimal production ramp-down of the TMS-line with regard to interconnected projects, functions, and factors. To ensure the success of the strategy, recommendations in management and implementation of the strategy were established based on research and empirical findings. The result is an optimal strategy that fulfils the objective and aims, and contributes with new empirical findings and recommendations for future research in production ramp-down and connected research fields. / Med bakgrunden av det ökande kraven och konkurrensen i fordonsindustrin att snabbt introducera nya produkter till marknaden, har ledning av produktionsupprampningar och produktionsnedrampningar blivit en ny avgörande konkurrensfaktor. För att lyckas med denna ledning krävs en välutvecklad strategi. För Scania motormontering pågår denna nya utmaning i formen av en nedrampning av den gamla monteringslinan (DL) och samtida upprampning av den nya monteringslinan (DW). Detta genomförs för att leverera den nya och mer hållbara motorplattformen Super. DL består av en grundmontering och en slutmontering (TMS-line), där den sistnämnda utgör fokus i detta examensarbete. Eftersom övergången redan är i gång finns det ett brådskande behov för utformningen av en produktionsnedrampningsstrategi som sträcker sig fram till den fullständiga övergången. Därför initierades detta projekt för att utveckla en optimal strategi för produktionsnedrampningen med hänsyn till sammankopplade projekt och funktioner, likväl till ekonomi, effektivitet, ergonomi och kvalitet. Projektet ämnade även till att utforma en idealisk projektprogression gällande styrning och implementering av strategin. Då TMS-line involverar 59 arbetsstationer, över 200 operatörer dagligen, 10 motortyper med unika varianter, olika tekniska system, och måste anpassas till flera operationella funktioner, krävdes en heltäckande och genomtänkt strategi. Ett ytterligare mål var att minska forskningsgapet mellan produktionsupprampning och produktionsnedrampning. Även om intresset för produktionsupprampning har ökat avsevärt de senaste två decennierna, frånses produktionsnedrampning fortfarande trots deras liknande betydelse. Därför ämnade projektet inte bara till att bidra till Scania, men också till att bidra med empirisk data till framtida forskning inom produktionsnedrampning. Sammantaget kan minskningen av forskningsgapet bidra till mer hållbara produktionssystem. För att uppnå projektets syfte och mål utfördes en omfattande litteraturstudie och olika vetenskapliga metoder användes. Litteraturstudien upprättade en grund för projektet, och sammanförde teorier från flera språk och perspektiv för att ge en heltäckande förståelse av produktionsnedrampning. De vetenskapliga metoderna användes till att samla empirisk data och designa strategin. Dessutom integrerades relevant expertis genom hela projektet genom ett kontinuerligt samarbete med anställda på Scania med olika roller och specialiseringar. Projektet följde även Scanias förändringsprocess för att underlätta implementeringen av strategin.  Totalt skapades och utvärderades tre distinkta strategikoncept: Alfa, Beta, och Gamma. Efter en systematisk utvärderingsprocess designades en kombination av Alfa och Gamma i detalj till att utforma den slutliga strategin. Strategin kan beskrivas som en stegvis kapacitetsreducering. Det första steget utgör planeringen och förberedelsen gällande kompetensskifte, organisatoriska förändringar, och tekniska lösningar. I det andra steget implementeras en ny takt och arbetsstandard motsvarande 50 % kapacitet. Dessutom görs ett beslut gällande de sista produktionsåren att antingen flytta produktion utomlands, ändra layout, eller fortsätta utan förändring. Det tredje steget involverar stora strukturella förändringar i formen av en ny organisatorisk struktur och implementeringen av en teknisk lösning för en permanent kapacitetreducering på 50 %. I det fjärde steget justeras den tekniska lösningen och en ny arbetsstandard implementeras motsvarande ett kapacitetsbehov på 33 %. Det femte steget berör utfasningen av TMS-line vilket slutför övergången mellan DL och DW. Slutligen inkluderar det sjätte steget vitaliseringen av den frigjorda operationella ytan och återvinningen av produktionsutrustning och material. Sammantaget säkerställer strategin en optimal produktionsnedrampning av TMS-line med hänsyn till sammankopplade projekt, funktioner och faktorer. För att säkerställa strategins framgång upprättades rekommendationer i styrning och implementering baserat på forskning och empiriska fynd. Resultatet är en optimal strategi som uppfyller syfte och mål, samt bidrar med nya empiriska fynd och rekommendationer till framtida forskning i produktionsnedrampning och relaterade forskningsfält.

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