Micor AB tillverkar cirkulära sågklingor och är framförallt inriktade på specialbeställda cirkulära sågklingor från orderstorleken en och uppåt.   På uppdrag av Micor AB har en kartläggning av hur det dagliga arbetet går till på Micors riktavdelningen gjorts. På riktavdelningen riktar och sträcks cirkulära sågklingor. Anledningen till att de cirkulära sågklingorna riktas är för att de ska vibrera mindre och kunden ska få en finare snittyta vid kapningen.  Problemet de har på riktavdelningen är att tidigare och nuvarandes operatörers kunskap inte är dokumenterad. Den knapphändiga informationen om vad som påverkar spänningen hos en cirkulär sågklinga gör att variationen av spänning kan variera från ordertillfälle till ordertillfälle. Micor AB vill även underlätta upplärningen av nya operatörer. Som metod för att lösa problemet har en anpassning av Six Sigmas DMAIC-modell gjorts.  Kartläggningen av det dagliga arbetet har legat till grund för de arbets- och maskininstruktioner som har skapats för att minska variationen av spänningen i cirkulära sågklingor. Identifiering av vilka parametrar som påverkar spänningen på en cirkulär sågklinga har gjorts genom granskning av publikationer inom ämnet samt genom egna tester. Genom kartläggningen av vad som påverkar spänningen på cirkulära sågklingor kommer förhoppningsvis Micor AB att få mindre variationer i spänningen och det kommer att underlätta för framtida implementerad automatisering av riktavdelningen.

Baring some limited exceptions, all large non-manufacturing organisations want to improve quality together with reducing costs, and the deployment and implementation of continuous improvement methodologies is commonly viewed as a daunting and sometimes even an impossible undertaking. Many organisations and their leadership fail to properly structure or support continuous improvement initiatives incorporating customer centricity, which ultimately doom them to failure. Business performance excellence programmes enables firms to provide a mechanism to identify and eliminate operational waste; enhance customer experience; and systematically increase profits. Thus, performance excellence has become a key indicator of a firm’s ability to achieve sustained profitability and competitiveness. This study has led to the development of a theoretical framework for effectively implementing and deploying an appropriately adapted Lean Six Sigma (LSS) in large non-manufacturing companies. It also creates a better understanding of the impact that an adopted Lean Six Sigma can have on the success of large non-manufacturing companies, and establish how effectively such organisations can implement the revised methodology, as measured against the said theoretical framework, thus to be able to make recommendations on how they can reduce cost, optimise their performance and become customer centric. A literature survey was done on Lean, Six-sigma and Lean Six Sigma to evaluate the history, benefits, and challenges during implementation, applicability to services oriented industries and the defining of the critical success factors required for effective implementation.The conceptual background from the literature review identified the research gap on which a theoretical framework for non-manufacturing companies was developed. Field-based interviews were conducted with the relevant senior personnel of four large non-manufacturing companies in order to complete the structured questionnaires to provide the data for understanding the mechanisms by which Lean Six Sigma deployment is addressed in the organisations. Fieldwork consisted of interviews with directors, senior executives, line managers and other staff that have in-depth knowledge of their organisation’s Lean Six Sigma deployment activities. These personnel members were selected on the basis of their direct decision-making and long-term involvement in their organisations’ continuous improvement activities throughout the assessment, negotiation and implementation phases. Detailed research on each organisation’s Lean Six Sigma activities preceded every interview. The interviews themselves were highly structured, and focused on the specific organisation’s Lean Six Sigma challenges on implementation and deployment of the method. The questionnaire was designed around the key factors needed in order to successfully manage Lean Six Sigma deployment challenges, as identified by theory and case studies and to test the degree of conformance to these theories by the four non-manufacturing companies. The findings in this study proves that, South African non-manufacturing companies are not adopting Lean Six Sigma to the point where it is going to make any sort of significant difference to the bottom line over a significantly meaningful period of time, judging from the statistical analysis from the survey results presented. The proposed framework provides for clearly defining the project infrastructure and methodology before the Lean Six Sigma project begins. This clearly helps to gain funding to embark on the projects, and will be helpful in any non-manufacturing company that must justify, as most do, how they spend the capital budget. The detailed cost/benefit analysis created during the implementation phase provides for the ability to gain funding for the implementation activities. People used to think of customer-centricity programmes mostly in terms of Customer Relations Management systems. Therefore, this research proposed a framework for management, supported by technology to become customer centric in a holistic manner. Many projects need not begin with any major technical investments. What matters more is a sustained focus on the financial goal and the transformation effort required to achieve that goal. Profitable Lean Six Sigma companies focus not only on integrating customer centricity into the organisation, but on ensuring that the entire “ecosystem” of the business - stakeholders, along with organisational processes, and structures - are aligned in ways that support Lean Six Sigma and customer-centric growth strategy. / PhD (Business Administration), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

Baring some limited exceptions, all large non-manufacturing organisations want to improve quality together with reducing costs, and the deployment and implementation of continuous improvement methodologies is commonly viewed as a daunting and sometimes even an impossible undertaking. Many organisations and their leadership fail to properly structure or support continuous improvement initiatives incorporating customer centricity, which ultimately doom them to failure. Business performance excellence programmes enables firms to provide a mechanism to identify and eliminate operational waste; enhance customer experience; and systematically increase profits. Thus, performance excellence has become a key indicator of a firm’s ability to achieve sustained profitability and competitiveness. This study has led to the development of a theoretical framework for effectively implementing and deploying an appropriately adapted Lean Six Sigma (LSS) in large non-manufacturing companies. It also creates a better understanding of the impact that an adopted Lean Six Sigma can have on the success of large non-manufacturing companies, and establish how effectively such organisations can implement the revised methodology, as measured against the said theoretical framework, thus to be able to make recommendations on how they can reduce cost, optimise their performance and become customer centric. A literature survey was done on Lean, Six-sigma and Lean Six Sigma to evaluate the history, benefits, and challenges during implementation, applicability to services oriented industries and the defining of the critical success factors required for effective implementation.The conceptual background from the literature review identified the research gap on which a theoretical framework for non-manufacturing companies was developed. Field-based interviews were conducted with the relevant senior personnel of four large non-manufacturing companies in order to complete the structured questionnaires to provide the data for understanding the mechanisms by which Lean Six Sigma deployment is addressed in the organisations. Fieldwork consisted of interviews with directors, senior executives, line managers and other staff that have in-depth knowledge of their organisation’s Lean Six Sigma deployment activities. These personnel members were selected on the basis of their direct decision-making and long-term involvement in their organisations’ continuous improvement activities throughout the assessment, negotiation and implementation phases. Detailed research on each organisation’s Lean Six Sigma activities preceded every interview. The interviews themselves were highly structured, and focused on the specific organisation’s Lean Six Sigma challenges on implementation and deployment of the method. The questionnaire was designed around the key factors needed in order to successfully manage Lean Six Sigma deployment challenges, as identified by theory and case studies and to test the degree of conformance to these theories by the four non-manufacturing companies. The findings in this study proves that, South African non-manufacturing companies are not adopting Lean Six Sigma to the point where it is going to make any sort of significant difference to the bottom line over a significantly meaningful period of time, judging from the statistical analysis from the survey results presented. The proposed framework provides for clearly defining the project infrastructure and methodology before the Lean Six Sigma project begins. This clearly helps to gain funding to embark on the projects, and will be helpful in any non-manufacturing company that must justify, as most do, how they spend the capital budget. The detailed cost/benefit analysis created during the implementation phase provides for the ability to gain funding for the implementation activities. People used to think of customer-centricity programmes mostly in terms of Customer Relations Management systems. Therefore, this research proposed a framework for management, supported by technology to become customer centric in a holistic manner. Many projects need not begin with any major technical investments. What matters more is a sustained focus on the financial goal and the transformation effort required to achieve that goal. Profitable Lean Six Sigma companies focus not only on integrating customer centricity into the organisation, but on ensuring that the entire “ecosystem” of the business - stakeholders, along with organisational processes, and structures - are aligned in ways that support Lean Six Sigma and customer-centric growth strategy. / PhD (Business Administration), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015

This thesis deals with the Six Sigma and LEAN project management methodology and its mutual linkage to Lean Six Sigma. In the first part it describes its basic theoretical principles explaining the background and the roots of both approaches. Furthermore, the adaptation to SAP Sigma is brought to light. In the practical part a case study of the application of Six Sigma on a project called FastClose is introduced and investigated. In addition, Lean Six Sigma methods are applied as well in order to explore further improvement potential within the project.

Abstract Six Sigma is a kind of quality control system originated in Motorola. It did not receive great attention of the world until the successful experience of Six Sigma in General Electric Company was made public. From then on, the world-famous enterprises started to introduce Six Sigma into their companies. In view of the great contributions of the Six Sigma quality control system implemented in Europe and America toward financial performance as well as the demands of customers who have carried out the Six Sigma quality control system, numerous domestic enterprises considered to introduce the quality control system as an important tool for improving their competitive ability in recent years. Going alone with such a trend, now many management consultants in Taiwan are facing the challenge of transformation. It seems that Six Sigma is a combination of the tools and techniques we used before, in which nothing is new. However, its managing philosophy and methodology do create achievements that can¡¦t be found in other management system. From the viewpoint of an enterprise under guidance, the author drew a conclusion of this study based on the in-depth interviews of the enterprises that actually promote the Six Sigma activity, and submitted the results of the study on transformation of such management consultants to be Six Sigma consultants. The main contributions of this study are as the following: 1. To establish a Six Sigma consulting procedure and list the main tasks of each step for the reference of domestic management consultants who plan to devote themselves to the guidance and instruction of Six Sigma quality control system. 2. To make suggestions to interview of the enterprises which have adopted the Six Sigma quality control system on continuous promotion of the system and further improvement of their performance. 3. To submit the prerequisites for an excellent Six Sigma consultant for the reference of the consultants who intend to engage in or have been engage in the consulting service of Six Sigma.

No description available.

Les techniques de microscopies hyperfréquences à balayage en champ proche connaissent un intérêt grandissant. Ces méthodes offrent des possibilités de caractérisations surfaciques et sub-surfaciques de matériaux par une mesure sans contact, non invasive et non destructive. Elles permettent également de lever les restrictions concernant la résolution spatiale limitée des méthodes classiques de caractérisation hyperfréquence. Néanmoins, l’instrumentation qui est associée usuellement à ce type de caractérisation, généralement un analyseur de réseaux conventionnel, s’avère surdimensionné pour des applications hors laboratoire. Dans ce travail de thèse, nous proposons une instrumentation complète combinant les techniques multi-port et les techniques de microscopie champ proche. Les étapes de conception et de réalisation de systèmes multi-port opérant en gammes de fréquences micro-ondes et millimétriques sont décrites. Les travaux menés s’inscrivent dans la volonté de proposer des instruments intégrant les ressources matérielles et logicielles. Les potentialités de ces systèmes sont illustrées au travers de la mise en œuvre de bancs automatisés permettant d’effectuer des mesures du coefficient de réflexion en une ou deux dimensions. La démonstration de l’apport de la technique multi-port est faite au travers d’exemples traitant du cas de défauts de nature métallique ou diélectrique, débouchant ou non débouchant en surface d’un échantillon. Ces dispositifs ont pour ambition de sortir des laboratoires de recherche afin d’adresser des applications dans le domaine de l’Evaluation Non Destructive (END). / Scanning near-field microwave microscopy (SNMM) techniques have become important tools in the imaging of materials. These methods offer the possibility of characterizing surface and subsurface materials in a non-contact, non-invasive, and non-destructive way. In comparison with conventional microwave characterization techniques, the spatial resolution has been improved in a large extent with the development of the SNMM. Nevertheless, these techniques generally require the use of an automatic network analyzer that is oversized for applications outside the laboratory. In this work, we propose a new instrumentation that combines the multi-port technique and microscopy techniques. The design and realization of multi-port systems in the microwave and millimeter-wave frequency bands are described. The investigations are driven by the will to propose instruments integrating the hardware and software resources. The potentialities of the systems proposed are illustrated trough applications in the Non Destructive Testing field in both microwave and millimeter-wave frequency bands. The validity of the approach proposed is applied for 1-D and 2-D crack detection. It is demonstrated that these systems present a viable and promising alternative to the costly heterodyne principles.

The purpose of this bachelor thesis is to develop a generic model to be applied on to a Swedish company. In order to reduce variations in quality, production time and work routines.  The study starts by investigation of the relevance of this thesis and continues with providing relevant theories on the subject. Then a model was developed for continues improvement projects with different keys that can be applied in the different steps of the model. The keys show the importance of involving the employees in continuous improvements projects. The model is aimed to be applicable to different kinds of project and depending of the size of the project, different keys can be utilized. The purpose of the model in this thesis is to decrease variation in quality, production time and work routines at a case company. The case company in this study is International Färg AB who is a manufacture of protective coatings. During the testing phase of the model, planning, analysis and measurements has been performed in order to achieve suggestions that would lower the variation within the production at the case company.  The result of this thesis and the model is that with the use of the model developed in this thesis it is possible to achieve lower variations in the production. The thesis is aimed to be suitable to Swedish industrial companies. The authors provide a generic user-friendly model.  From the results recommendations to the case company has been developed. The thesis end with a discussion about topics not fully covered in the report.

Since the successful implementations in some prestigious companies such as Motorola, GE & Allied Signal the ¡§Six Sigma¡¨ quality management system has become more and more companies¡¦ priority approach in upgrading their overall competitiveness. With its actual progress made in competitiveness and the shining financial results in the past the Six Sigma has attracted numerous followers and it is now indeed the main quality management stream after the TQM era. No matter the Six Sigma implementation is still under evaluation or has been accepted and ready to kick off, it is no other than one of the main strategic plans of almost all the contemporary companies. However, in spite that Six Sigma has been maturely implemented for some time and there have been some global companies and local companies here in Taiwan that have phased it in already, there are still a lot of local companies that rather wait-and-see and decide not to be the front runners. In Taiwan the number of Six-Sigma companies that have truly phased in and paid off are still quite limited so far. Because of that this research summarized the existing literature based on the key success factors and then validated this hypothesis through expert validation. After the hypothesis was validated, there followed investigations upon the middle and upper level managers who were mostly also students of the NSYSU¡¦s EMBA, MBA (on-job), MBA (night-session), English MBA, MBA (HR, on-job) and ISU¡¦s EMBA and PMBA programs, to have an in-depth understanding on what were theirs and the temporary companies¡¦ wants and anticipated results, what were the differences between their perceptions on the Six Sigma¡¦s key implementation factors, what were the correlations between different independent and dependent variables, and whether there still embedded any tacit factors that could otherwise result in failures. From the result of this research we concluded that no matter what industries and what scales most of the companies have faced with pressure of having to implement Six Sigma. In addition, they believed that Six Sigma truly would be able to help them upgrading their overall competitiveness and corporate images. Also, we learned that there existed differences in independent variables vs. different dependent variables. The perceptions of the middle and upper managements were found not in line with the key success factors in certain degrees in some ways that could otherwise contribute to failures if we do not pay attention to prevent them from happening. Generally speaking, no matter how many employees the companies may have, what capital and revenue sizes they are, all the companies should know of their industries¡¦ own features well for deciding their own directions. They should have appropriate benchmarking and consultants, and need to seek for helps from outside if necessary so that they could take advantage of this new Six Sigma era.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Dropsie college for Hebrew and Cognate Learning, 1914. / Printed in England. Text in Arabic with Hebrew characters: p. 121-217; Hebrew translation: p. 219-278. Published also in Jewish quarterly review, new series, vol. IV (1913-14) p. 519-576; vol. V (1914-15) p. 29-90, 345-441; vol. VI (1915-16) p. 97-156.