The purpose of this thesis was to investigate how potentials of Real-Time Location Systems (RTLS) in relation to Just In Time (JIT) management could be utilized within logistics management. For this, a framework, based on previous research of the interrelations of RTLS and JIT management, is proposed, to assess the effects of RTLS on logistics management, both on a managerial - as well as on an operational level. To answer the proposed research questions, the study followed a deductive and exploratory case study design, which was conducted at a company within the automotive industry. To understand the challenges within logistics management at the case company, interviews, observations, analysis of internal documents and a focus group were used, which allowed for a triangulation of the captured information. The findings and analysis of the data show that on an operational level the challenges within logistics management are related to complex logistic structures, pull strategies with partial push material flows, lack of information and – reliable data, as well as processes reliant on individuals. On the managerial level the findings suggest challenges related to high complexity and space constraints, time constraints, lack of transparency and – data connections, the company's improvement focus, employee attitude and a lack of reliable data. When the challenges were evaluated in relation to the proposed framework, it shows that these challenges would be resolved or counteracted by the benefits RTLS could provide in relation to JIT management. This study thereby supports the positive correlation between RTLS’s potential and JIT in logistics management.

In hospitals and clinics, medical devices incorrectly assigned to patients may cause various patient safety problems. Moreover, the unknown location of required mobile devices (intravenous pumps, cardiac monitors, etc.) represents additional issues for health providers such as unnecessary search effort, delays, and equipment underuse. To mitigate such issues, a patient-device connectivity management system that monitors and tracks patients and their assigned devices becomes an interesting option. Popular approaches for managing associations between patients and devices often involve bar-coding systems, which still require scanning time, are prone to errors, and do not solve equipment location issues. This thesis introduces a new system that exploits Real-Time Location System (RTLS) technology to track patients and devices and support simpler association by a nurse, until disassociation (voluntary or not) happens, at which point the nurse is notified. This system, called Real-time Patient-Device Association and Disassociation (RPDAD), interacts with nurses through their mobile device (tablet or phone). The system provides a new server-based application that interacts with an existing RTLS (hence enabling the reuse of current hospital infrastructure for mobile equipment tracking), a new Android mobile application for nurses, and a novel approach for automated disassociation tracking. The system was validated through proof-of-concept deployments in a university laboratory and in teaching hospital in Ontario, as well as with extensive testing for several configurations in a university laboratory. This thesis discuss-es the feasibility of the approach, its originality compared to the state of the art, and current technological limitations. We expect this system to help avoid usability and disassociation issues while increasing patient care quality and efficiency.

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