Introduction: To stay relevant, it is required that companies work with continuous improvements.Finding inefficiencies is not always easy. One way to try to find inefficiencies is throughflow mapping. This study examines what causes inefficient activities for industrial servicecompanies. Purpose: The purpose of the study is to investigate how a workflow at an industrial servicecompany can be made more efficient with the help of flow mapping. Method: The study is conducted through a case study at a service industry company that maintainsand repairs motors and frequency converters. Flow mapping was used to map activitiesin the workflow and literature was collected to be able to conduct a flow mappingcorrectly. Interviews and observations have been used to support the flow mapping. Results: The company has two service workshops that have similar activities in their flow. Evenso, one of the workflows is more efficient than the other. Based on the comparison of theworkflows, inspiration has been used to adjust the workflow for the frequency converterworkshop. Using flow mapping and methods from lean, a future flow map has beencreated where non-value-added activities have been eliminated. Conclusion: Based on the results, several improvement proposals have been drawn up for thecompany's workshops. Industrial service companies can use flow mapping and VSM toeliminate non-value-added activities. Lean tools can be used to create order and structurethat lead to shorter lead times.

Research reveal that the construction industry does not have the same level of growth and development in performance compared to the manufacturing industry, and that Lean could be one solution to improve performance. Most research about Lean in the construction industry that exist today focus on simulating future scenarios. Hence miss analysing the impact Lean has on the current situation of construction projects, and its usability and possibility to set the framework for how to improve performances in construction projects. Thus, there is a gap in research concerning the evaluation on current process flows. This research explores Lean as a management method to understand how it has been used in the construction industry and how it could be used in construction projects to improve process flows. This will be done by using the method Value Stream Mapping, a method within Lean that is used to identify Non-Value-Adding activities in the process flow to point out what activities can be improved. The case study in this research explores two different value streams within two construction projects; deliveries and mounting one side of the framework of interior walls. Thus, the research will explore if and how the value stream differentiates between the two projects, with the aim to understand the reason for the results to understand how future construction projects could improve their process flows within a value stream. Data will be collected and analysed qualitative by combining observations and interviews. The value stream for deliveries differentiated between the projects. Project A had 73% Non-Value-Adding activities with a cycle time of 3,1 m2/min whilst Project B had 65% with a cycle time of 2,7 m2/min. In both projects Non-Value-Adding activities were categorized as Waiting, Movement, Transport and Overproduction. The value stream for mounting in Project A had 31% Non-Value-Adding activities with a cycle time of 2,9 m2/hour whilst Project B had 41% Non-Value-Adding activities with a cycle time of 1,7 m2/hour. In both project activities were categorized as Waiting, Transport, Incorrect processing and Movement. However, in Project B Overproduction was also identified as a Non-Value-Adding activity. Findings from the study shows that even though construction projects are complex and consist of variabilities, it is possible to observe value streams to identify Non-Value-Adding activities. Nevertheless, it is crucial to adjust the method to the construction industry since the theory of Value Stream Mapping originate from the manufacturing industry. This research recommends excluding number of resources as a category from the method and instead evaluate resources based on the total time, and to categorize inspections and reading drawing as Value-Adding activities instead of Non-Value-Adding. The study reveals that construction projects that work with Lean and its method Value Stream Mapping are given new opportunities to improve process flows. Thus, construction projects could be able to improve processes without needing to invest in more resources, material and tools. Not only could projects lower construction costs but also improve production time as Non-Value-Adding activities are reduced. Thus, the research believes Lean and its method Value Stream Mapping could improve performances within the construction industry. / Tidigare forskning menar att Lean skulle kunna vara en lösning på det faktum att byggindustrin inte har haft lika stor tillväxt och utveckling som bilindustrin. Den forskning som finns idag gällande Lean i byggindustrin fokuserar på att simulera framtida scenarier av den effekt Lean skulle kunna ge. Därav försummas analysering av den faktiska effekten Lean har i pågående situationer samt användbarheten och möjligheten att fastställa ramverk för hur man kan förbättra prestationer och tillväxt i byggprojekt. Denna studie utforskar Lean som en ledarskapsmetod. Studien fördjupar sig i Lean för att förstå hur det tidigare har använts i byggindustrin och förstå dess användbarhet och möjlighet att förbättra processflöden i byggprojekt. Value Stream Mapping, en metod inom Lean kommer att användas för att identifiera icke-värdeskapande aktiviteter i process flöden samt för att se vilka aktiviteter som kan förbättras eller elimineras. Fallstudien i denna forskning undersöker två olika värdeflöden inom två byggprojekt; ta emot leveranser och enkling av innerväggarna. Studien kommer att undersöka om och hur värdeflödena skiljer sig mellan de två projekten, med syfte att förstå orsaken till resultaten och förstå hur framtida byggprojekt kan förbättra processer inom värdeflödena. Data samlas in och analyseras kvalitativt genom att kombinera observationer och intervjuer. I värdeflödet för leveranser hade Projekt A 73% icke-värdeskapande aktiviteter med en produktionstid på 3,1 m2/min medan Projekt B hade 65% icke-värdeskapande aktiviteter med en produktionstid på 2,7 m2/min. Aktiviteterna i projekten kategoriserades som slöseri i form av, väntande, rörelse, transport och överproduktion. I värdeflödet för monteringen hade Projekt A 31% icke-värdeskapande aktiviteter med en produktionstid på 2,9 m2/h medan Projekt B hade 41% icke-värdeskapande aktiviteter med en produktionstid på 1,7 m2/h. I. I båda projekten kategoriserades icke-värdeskapande aktiviteter som slöseri i form av, väntande, rörelse, transport och fel bearbetning. Projekt B hade även slöseri i form av överproduktion. Studien visar att trots att byggprojekt är komplexa och varierande, är det möjligt att observera värdeströmmar för att identifiera aktiviteter som inte tillför värde. Det är däremot nödvändigt att anpassa metoden till byggindustrin då Value Stream Mapping grundar sin teori från bilindustrin. Studien rekommenderar att utesluta antalet resurser som en slöserikategori och istället utvärdera resurser genom att se på den totala tiden samt att kategorisera inspektioner och läsa ritning som värdeskapande aktiviteter i stället för icke-värdeskapande. Studien visar att byggprojekt som arbetar med Lean och dess metod Value Stream Mapping ges möjligheter att förbättra sina processflöden. Således skulle byggprojekt kunna förbättra processer utan att behöva investera i mer resurser, material och verktyg och därmed kunna sänka byggkostnaderna. Slutligen skulle byggprojekt kunna förbättra sina produktionstider då icke-värdeskapande aktiviteter reduceras. Studien visar därmed att Lean och dess metod Value Stream Mapping skulle kunna förbättra tillväxten inom byggindustrin.

In this competitive world with rapid growth of markets, the main goal of any company is to attain an edge over its competitors. In order to achieve this goal a company has to continually improve its process and eliminate the wastes in the process while not compromising on the quality of the product and customer satisfaction. Though Eco Supplies Solar AB is one of the largest producers of Photovoltaic solar modules in Scandinavia, the need for improvement is vital to match with growing requirements and to maintain its position in the market. This master thesis was done for Eco Supplies Solar AB, so as to help them identify the waste along their value stream process. The project was divided into three phases. The first phase of the project was to map and analyze the plant layout as well as analyze the worker movement. This helped to understand the various movements through the entire process of production and the associated distances and time. The second phase of the thesis was the execution of the Value Stream Mapping. For this purpose the entire production process was walked through and through several interviews the data was collected. The current state value stream map gave a one page static picture of the key areas of waste within the process and to suggest necessary changes so as to improve the efficiency. The suggested changes are implemented and the future state map is drawn. The results from the current state and future state map are calculated theoretically and analyzed. The third phase is the use of Simulation to understand the behavioral effects of each the processes and to determine the overall change in productivity if the changes are implemented. It is difficult to implement changes in a production plant that works continuously for 24 hours. That would interrupt production and also lead to large costs. The easier and most optimal solution to implement changes, understand the behavior of each process before and after the changes and to analyze the changes is to run a simulation model of the current and future state. The simulation is done using Extend Sim software and the results are analyzed further. The main aim of the thesis was to analyze the current plant layout and the product process and develop a methodology to identify visualize and measure the wastes in the production process of Photovoltaic solar modules.

In a 2023 where global crises follow one another, globallogistics have been heavily affected and have thereforebecome an increasingly important focus area. The issues thathave arisen have led companies and organizations to exploretheir options for insourcing processes that were previouslyoutsourced, in order to avoid unnecessary risks withdeliveries and their timelines.In this quantitative deductive case study, the purpose is toexamine the advantages and disadvantages of insourcingwithin the industrial sector. To investigate this purpose, fourmethods were used: flow diagrams, Value Stream Mapping(VSM), Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA), and digitalization ofwhiteboards meant for meetings. The results showed severalimprovements, primarily through reduced lead times, positiveprofitability, and more efficient workflows.The conclusions of the study are that insourcing processescan bring several positive aspects to the organization, with themain barrier being investment costs / I ett 2023 där globala kriser avlöser varandra så har denglobala logistiken påverkats kraftigt och därav blivit ett alltstörre fokusområde. Problematiken som skapats har lett till attföretag och verksamheter har utforskat sina möjligheter attinsourca processer som tidigare har varit outsourcade för attundvika onödiga risker med leveranser och dess tider.I denna fallstudie så är studiens syfte att undersöka vilkamöjligheter och utmaningar som insourcing av enindustriprocess medför på verksamheten. För att besvaraforskningsfrågan så användes Value Stream Mapping (VSM)och Cost-Benefit-Analysis (CBA). Resultatet visade på ettflertal förbättringar, främst genom förkortade ledtider, enpositiv lönsamhet samt effektivare arbetssätt. Ledtidernaminskade med 88% för processen vilket motsvarade 16% avverksamhetens totala ledtid. Med en avkastning på 14,2% perår gör att investerings kapitalet är återbetalt efter 7 år i drift.

Syfte – Studiens syfte var att utveckla KDI-metoden till att även inkludera egentillverkade artiklar. För att kunna uppfylla syftet har det brutits ned i tre frågeställningar: Vilka data och analysverktyg i KDI-metoden berör egentillverkade artiklar? Vilka verktyg bör tillkomma i fas två för att kunna analysera egentillverkade artiklar? Vilken ytterligare data bör tillkomma i fas ett för att kunna inkludera egentillverkade artiklar? Metod – Tillvägagångssättet för studien innefattade en litteraturstudie, en fallstudie samt en analytisk konceptuell ansats. För att besvara den första frågeställningen genomfördes fallstudien innehållande intervjuer, observationer samt dokumentstudier på fallföretaget Kinnarps, Skillingaryd. Insamlad data tolkades och analyserades i förhållande till ett teoretiskt ramverk som genererade ett resultat. För att besvara den andra och tredje frågeställningen genomfördes en analytisk konceptuell ansats utifrån tidigare framtagna teorier som senare sammanställdes i en modell. Resultat – Steg ett till fyra i fas ett samt steg sju och åtta i fas två i KDI-metoden berör egentillverkade artiklar. En modell för inkludering av egentillverkade artiklar skapades där det framgår vilka analysverktyg samt data som bör undersökas. De verktyg som tagits fram baseras på teorier kring bland annat värdeflödeskartläggning, materialhantering och modell för make-or-buy beslut. Utifrån dessa verktyg kunde det tolkas vilka data som bör tillkomma för egentillverkade artiklar. Implikationer – I denna studie framgår det att ingen ny litteratur har upprättats utan kombinationer av redan existerande teorier presenteras. Teorin kring KDI-metoden skulle kunna förändras utifrån det sidoresultat som presenteras i examensarbetets sjunde kapitel. Verksamheter som applicerar KDT-metoden skulle kunna öka kunskapen för KDT och därmed förbättra verksamheten internt. Metoden hjälper även till vid analys för både externa och interna flöden. Begränsningar – KDI-metoden är i nuläget relativt ny och ej testad utanför det kontext som den är utformad för. Detta har resulterat i att författarna ej har kunnat styrka denna litteratur utifrån andra forskare. Fokus har legat på att finna teorier till kunddriven tillverkning kring värdeflödeskartläggning, materialhantering med mera. Önskvärt hade varit att genomföra ytterligare litteraturstudier för att finna lämpliga utvecklingsområden. Nyckelord – KDI-metoden, materialhantering, SWOT-analys, försörjningskedja, värdeflödeskartläggning, produktionslayout. / Purpose – The purpose of the study was to develop the CDP-method to include also manufacturing items. In order to help answering the purpose, three questions have been defined: Which data and analytical tools in the CDP-method affect manufactured items? Which tools should be added in the second phase in order to analyse manufactured items? Which additional data should be included in the first phase in order to include manufactured items? Method – The procedure for the study contain a literature study, case study and an analytical conceptual approach. In order to answer the first question, a case study was performed with interviews, observations and document studies at Kinnarps, Skillingaryd. The received data were interpret and analysed in relation to the theoretical framework that generated a result. In order to answer the second and third question, an analytical conceptual approach were conducted from previous theories that later was compiled in a model. Findings – Step one to four in the first phase and step seven and eight in the second phase of the CDP-method affect manufactured items. A model for included manufactured items has been created where analytical tools and data are presented that should be investigated. The tools that are introduced are based on theories within value stream mapping, material handling and a model for make-or-buy-decision. Based on these tools, it could be interpreted which data that should be created for manufactured items. Implications – It appears in this study that no new literature has been created but combinations of already existed theories are presented. The theory within the CDP- method could be changed from results that were founded when the CDP-method was applied at the case company. This is presented in the bachelor thesis seventh chapter. Companies that apply the CDM-method could increase the knowledge for customer driven manufacturing and improve the company internally. The method also assists when analysing both external and internal flows. Limitations – Today the CDP-method is relative new and not applied outside the context that it is designed for. One result of this is that the authors have not confirmed these literatures by other researcher. The focus has been to find theories to customer driven manufacturing within value stream mapping material handling and so on. It would have been desirable if additional literature studies could be performed in order to find appropriate development areas. Keywords – CDP-method, material handling, SWOT-analysis, supply chain, make- or-buy analysis, value stream mapping, production layout, total cost of ownership.

An initial review of literature concerned with commercial and industrial office design indicated the need to research and develop a method for the design of the management systems of offices with the purpose of improving the operational effectiveness and alignment to strategy. In particular the literature review indicated that the application of lean methods, in non-manufacturing areas is comparatively rare. A critical review of the literature identified that Value Stream Mapping has been used to map mechanistic task activities, however, a need was identified for a new generation of Value Stream Mapping to map mixed mechanistic and organic task activities. To complement the literature survey and discover if there were significant variables (e.g. task uncertainty, interdependence, task complexity, mechanistic / organic structures, risk, task analysability etc) influencing office design, pilot studies were carried out in a mechanistic and organic office. Several additional variables were identified. From the pilot studies combined with the literature review a conceptual model was formulated which provides guidelines for managers enabling them to design the management systems fully taking all the variables into account. The conceptual model was then tested using a multiple case study design of two small consulting type offices that exhibited mixed mechanistic and organic characteristics. This resulted in an improved version of the model which was then further validated. This validation based upon the opinions of office managers focused mainly on identifying the practical usefulness of the model from an industrial perspective. Following the validation a final form of the model has been proposed in this research. It remains for future researchers to fully test the model by applying it in a wider range of offices. This study makes an explicit contribution to the redesign of offices as well as the utilisation of Value Stream Mapping to the mechanistic and the organic task activities within commercial and industrial offices.

In today’s society, businesses and organizations are facing increasing challenges to change and adapt to a digitizing world. In order to stay relevant in the market, businesses need to work constantly on developing and improving the efficiency of its various processes. This study is designed as a case study at MittSverige Vatten & Avfall which is a municipal corporation in Sundsvall municipality. Its goal is to be a leader in its sector by the year 2021. The study’s objective was to investigate if the digitization of information gathering could bring benefit to a company and its customers. The investigation has focused on the digitization of information gathering from the customer's water meter. The study's objective has been to identify and analyze how digitization impacts business processes and its financial condition with help from value stream mapping and a customer survey. The study was conducted with the support of written and web based literary sources. A survey as well as interviews was conducted. An investment analysis has been conducted to study and evaluate the benefits that the investment brings the customer and MittSverige Vatten & Avfall regarding cost. The study proved that the digitization of water meters would mean an improvement for both MittSverige Vatten & Avfall and its customers. / Verksamheter och organisationer står i dagens samhälle framför ökande utmaningar till förändringar och anpassning till en digitaliserande värld. För att kunna fortsätta vara relevant på marknaden så behöver verksamheter arbeta ständigt med utveckling och effektivisering av dess olika processer. Denna studie är utförd som en fallstudie hos MittSverige Vatten & Avfall som är ett kommunalt bolag i Sundsvall kommun. Studien hade som syfte att undersöka vad digitalisering av informationsinhämtning kunde tillföra för nytta för ett företag och dess kunder. Undersökningen har fokuserat på digitalisering av informationsinhämtning från kundens vattenmätare. Studien har haft som mål att kartlägga och analysera digitaliseringens effekt på verksamhetens processer och ekonomiskt tillstånd med hjälp av värdeflödesanalys och kundundersökning. En enkät och intervjuer har utförts. En investeringsanalys har utförts för att studera och värdera nyttan som investeringen tillför kunden och MittSverige Vatten & Avfall med hänsyn till kostnaden. Studien bevisade att en digitalisering av vattenmätare skulle innebära en förbättring för både MittSverige Vatten & Avfall och dess kunder.

Este trabalho apresenta conceitos relacionados ao pensamento enxuto, e mais especificamente, ao mapeamento de fluxo de valor (MFV), inseridos no contexto hospitalar, destacando exemplos encontrados na literatura e a análise de um caso prático conduzido pelo autor. Com a elaboração do trabalho, foi possível concluir que não existe um modelo de mapeamento de fluxo de valor padronizado para aplicações de lean em ambientes hospitalares. De maneira geral, a utilização do MFV em hospitais se dá através de adaptações da manufatura que não levam em conta todas as atividades que interferem no fluxo dos pacientes, como o fluxo de informações e de materiais. Para contornar esse problema, esta dissertação visa propor um novo modelo de MFV, voltado para ambientes hospitalares, que consiga contemplar em um único mapa todos os fluxos que interferem diretamente na duração do tratamento do paciente e sirva como modelo padrão para aplicações de lean em hospitais. Para isso, foi realizado um levantamento bibliográfico, que buscou identificar, no período de 2000 a 2013, os principais modelos de MFV atualmente empregados em implantações de lean healthcare e identificar as principais características e pontos positivos de cada um. Estes pontos positivos serviram como requisitos para a elaboração do novo modelo, passando a integrar um único mapa. Com a aplicação prática desse novo MFV, foi possível identificar os gargalos operacionais e inúmeros desperdícios que interferem no tratamento do paciente e que não poderiam ser identificados pelos outros modelos de mapeamento estudados. É possível concluir, com os resultados alcançados, que o modelo proposto atendeu aos objetivos definidos e demonstrou ser uma ferramenta valiosa para identificação de desperdícios em ambientes hospitalares. / This thesis presents lean thinking concepts focused on healthcare environments and more specifically on the value stream mapping (VSM). The research could concluded that there is no value stream map standardized for lean healthcare applications. In general, the use of VSM in hospitals are made by manufacturing adaptations that do not take into account all activities that interfere in the patient flow, such as information and material flow. To solve this problem, this research aims to propose a new VSM model for healthcare, which could contemplate all activities that directly affects the treatment time and also be a template for lean healthcare applications. Therefore, the focus in the literature review was to identify the main healthcare VSM models published between 2000 and 2013 and the key characteristics and strengths of each. These strengths were used as requirements for the new mapping model elaboration and were integrated in a single map. The practical application, conducted by the author, identified operational bottlenecks and numerous wastes that interfere in the patient\'s treatment that could not be identified by the other mapping models studied. In conclusion, the new VSM model proposed has achieve the defined goals and proved to be a valuable tool for identifying waste in hospital environments.

The rapid rise in global population and market demands have mandated industries to introduce better and quality products to meet up their rushing needs. However, achiev-ing such goals need optimal production system and robust strategies. Exploring in depth it can be visualized that most of the manufacturing set ups suffers losses or relatively lower benefits due to improper and high wastages. Hence it is very important for man-ufacturing industries to explore the techniques which help them to improve their pro-duction system. The key techniques from Lean Manufacturing (LM) such as Value Stream Mapping (VSM) and Ishikawa diagram were explored in this work for enhanc-ing production capacity, reducing rework, reducing wastages and arriving to a well-defined optimal process flow which in turn help in achieving higher productivity. How-ever, the implementation of Lean and Value stream mapping depends on the production scale and has its own significance to different manufacturing setup. With that motive, in this thesis work the emphasis was made on exploring VSM technique for better pro-duction optimization in manufacturing sector.

Este trabalho apresenta conceitos relacionados ao pensamento enxuto, e mais especificamente, ao mapeamento de fluxo de valor (MFV), inseridos no contexto hospitalar, destacando exemplos encontrados na literatura e a análise de um caso prático conduzido pelo autor. Com a elaboração do trabalho, foi possível concluir que não existe um modelo de mapeamento de fluxo de valor padronizado para aplicações de lean em ambientes hospitalares. De maneira geral, a utilização do MFV em hospitais se dá através de adaptações da manufatura que não levam em conta todas as atividades que interferem no fluxo dos pacientes, como o fluxo de informações e de materiais. Para contornar esse problema, esta dissertação visa propor um novo modelo de MFV, voltado para ambientes hospitalares, que consiga contemplar em um único mapa todos os fluxos que interferem diretamente na duração do tratamento do paciente e sirva como modelo padrão para aplicações de lean em hospitais. Para isso, foi realizado um levantamento bibliográfico, que buscou identificar, no período de 2000 a 2013, os principais modelos de MFV atualmente empregados em implantações de lean healthcare e identificar as principais características e pontos positivos de cada um. Estes pontos positivos serviram como requisitos para a elaboração do novo modelo, passando a integrar um único mapa. Com a aplicação prática desse novo MFV, foi possível identificar os gargalos operacionais e inúmeros desperdícios que interferem no tratamento do paciente e que não poderiam ser identificados pelos outros modelos de mapeamento estudados. É possível concluir, com os resultados alcançados, que o modelo proposto atendeu aos objetivos definidos e demonstrou ser uma ferramenta valiosa para identificação de desperdícios em ambientes hospitalares. / This thesis presents lean thinking concepts focused on healthcare environments and more specifically on the value stream mapping (VSM). The research could concluded that there is no value stream map standardized for lean healthcare applications. In general, the use of VSM in hospitals are made by manufacturing adaptations that do not take into account all activities that interfere in the patient flow, such as information and material flow. To solve this problem, this research aims to propose a new VSM model for healthcare, which could contemplate all activities that directly affects the treatment time and also be a template for lean healthcare applications. Therefore, the focus in the literature review was to identify the main healthcare VSM models published between 2000 and 2013 and the key characteristics and strengths of each. These strengths were used as requirements for the new mapping model elaboration and were integrated in a single map. The practical application, conducted by the author, identified operational bottlenecks and numerous wastes that interfere in the patient\'s treatment that could not be identified by the other mapping models studied. In conclusion, the new VSM model proposed has achieve the defined goals and proved to be a valuable tool for identifying waste in hospital environments.