Academic researchers and practitioners are always keen to know more about organizational practices. Some experts even claim that academic researchers are ignorant about organizational knowledge. Given that the study is an attempt to provide an exemplar from real life in order to increase the organizational awareness of the academic community and practitioners. The objective of the study is to understand and learn the experience of a radical change initiative that took place within the Military Aircraft division of British Aerospace over the period 1993-98. The emphasis is on the effectiveness of the change methodology applied in the process of change. Open-ended interviews and documents were the major sources of the data used in the case study. The interviews reflected the actual experiences of those who were involved, while the documents provided contextual data and information on the key themes of the change. Nine change projects were examined which were introduced during five-year period. Analysis showed that there was a huge gap between the organization's practices and those of the benchmark companies. This gap is what BAe sought to lessen/remove through radical change initiative. The study postulates that the qualitative paradigm can shape the analysis of such a change initiative by contextualizing the phenomenon. Pettigrew et al's (1989) framework has beena pplied to assessth e change,w hich consistso f the context, the content and the process. The change programme was a successful attempt to increase internal efficiency, developing business partnerships and strengthening customer satisfaction. The study concludes that there is a strong relationship between the extent of management sponsorship, employees involvement, a flatter organizational structure, efficient use of technology, an effective change methodology and the success of such radical change initiatives. The experience of this company can be used in other organizations provided that their drivers for change are similar to those of the company investigated.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the medical records of 900 maintenance personnel employed in an aircraft manufacturing plant, and determine if the accident rate followed a Poisson distribution as well as the extent to which it did. It was assumed that the closer the data conformed to the Poisson curve, the more likely it would be that the variance in accident rates was due to "pure chance factors." The investigation of data in this study was expected to reveal information concerning the relative importance of the various injury sources, the conditions, processes or activities that produce injuries, extent of recurrence of each kind of injury or accident in each type of activity or operation, repeaters, which could be utilized in preventing recurrence.

No description available.

The aim of the thesis was an analysis of factors influencing the competitiveness of selected industry in foreign markets. For this purpose, the aircraft manufacturing industry was chosen. Firstly I analysed current trends in the aircraft manufacturing, external factors influencing the industry and competitive forces of industry. Based on the lessons learned factors having the greatest influence on the international competitiveness of the aircraft manufacturing industry were identified. These factors were afterwards individually analyzed and the conclusion of this analysis was identifying of opportunities for increasing the competitiveness of the Czech aircraft manufacturing industry on foreign markets in various areas.

Three methodologies are associated with production optimisation, namely, Theory of Constraints (TOC), Lean and Six Sigma – and each boasts with a number of success stories. This dissertation addresses the possibility of implementing all three these methodologies in a specific sequence at an organisation and also sets out to determine the impact of this implementation. A literature survey was conducted on all three stand-alone methodologies as well as on the combined methodology, which is called the Theory of Constrains Lean Six Sigma (TLS). TLS literature suggests that TOC should be implemented first with a view to identify the constraint in an organisation. Lean implementation should follow in order to eliminate any waste in the organisation. Lastly, Six Sigma should be implemented to optimise the process variability. TOC literature explains that The Goal of any organisation is to make money. All other objectives are only the means of achieving The Goal. The literature further indicates that the constraint in any organisation determines the drumbeat, and that this constraint should be managed by means of the Drum-Buffer-Rope methodology. Lean literature points towards 14 Management Principles by means of which an organisation should be managed in order to become a Lean organisation, while Six Sigma literature is concerned with the DMAIC (Define-Measure-Analyse-Improve-Control) methodology used for improvement projects and the belt system that is used to manage these improvement projects. Jonker Sailplanes, a sailplanes manufacturer in Potchefstroom, South Africa, was used as a case study for the implementation of TLS. A description is given of the processes and procedures that were followed before and after the implementation of TLS. The TLS methodology had to be adapted in order to meet the specific needs of Jonker Sailplanes into an adapted 14-step TLS implementation plan. After implementing TOC and Lean at Jonker Sailplanes, it was found that the organisation was not ready for the transition from Lean projects to Six Sigma projects. The implementation of Six Sigma was therefore referred for future research. One of the most significant findings of the current study was the very positive impact that the implementation of TLS had on the organisation: the production tempo (throughput) of the organisation has increased while the operating expenses per aircraft have decreased. This confirms that the profit per aircraft has increased. A critical evaluation of the implementation of the TLS methodology can therefore maintain that the implementation of TLS at Jonker Sailplanes was a success since the production tempo (throughput) and the organisational profit were increased and the implementation of the methodology was done with relative ease. In terms of interpreting results it was also necessary to set out how Jonker Sailplanes proceeded from a prototyping environment to a production setup, and how specifically identifying the constraint helped to achieve this transition. Furthermore, is it argued that when Lean is implemented before TOC, this could move the organisation away from The Goal, which is to make money. The interpretation of findings suggests that the procedure followed at Jonker Sailplanes was the most appropriate one. Finally, recommendations are made for future studies in terms of how to further improve the impact of the TLS implementation at Jonker Sailplanes. / Thesis (M.Ing. (Development and Management))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

Three methodologies are associated with production optimisation, namely, Theory of Constraints (TOC), Lean and Six Sigma – and each boasts with a number of success stories. This dissertation addresses the possibility of implementing all three these methodologies in a specific sequence at an organisation and also sets out to determine the impact of this implementation. A literature survey was conducted on all three stand-alone methodologies as well as on the combined methodology, which is called the Theory of Constrains Lean Six Sigma (TLS). TLS literature suggests that TOC should be implemented first with a view to identify the constraint in an organisation. Lean implementation should follow in order to eliminate any waste in the organisation. Lastly, Six Sigma should be implemented to optimise the process variability. TOC literature explains that The Goal of any organisation is to make money. All other objectives are only the means of achieving The Goal. The literature further indicates that the constraint in any organisation determines the drumbeat, and that this constraint should be managed by means of the Drum-Buffer-Rope methodology. Lean literature points towards 14 Management Principles by means of which an organisation should be managed in order to become a Lean organisation, while Six Sigma literature is concerned with the DMAIC (Define-Measure-Analyse-Improve-Control) methodology used for improvement projects and the belt system that is used to manage these improvement projects. Jonker Sailplanes, a sailplanes manufacturer in Potchefstroom, South Africa, was used as a case study for the implementation of TLS. A description is given of the processes and procedures that were followed before and after the implementation of TLS. The TLS methodology had to be adapted in order to meet the specific needs of Jonker Sailplanes into an adapted 14-step TLS implementation plan. After implementing TOC and Lean at Jonker Sailplanes, it was found that the organisation was not ready for the transition from Lean projects to Six Sigma projects. The implementation of Six Sigma was therefore referred for future research. One of the most significant findings of the current study was the very positive impact that the implementation of TLS had on the organisation: the production tempo (throughput) of the organisation has increased while the operating expenses per aircraft have decreased. This confirms that the profit per aircraft has increased. A critical evaluation of the implementation of the TLS methodology can therefore maintain that the implementation of TLS at Jonker Sailplanes was a success since the production tempo (throughput) and the organisational profit were increased and the implementation of the methodology was done with relative ease. In terms of interpreting results it was also necessary to set out how Jonker Sailplanes proceeded from a prototyping environment to a production setup, and how specifically identifying the constraint helped to achieve this transition. Furthermore, is it argued that when Lean is implemented before TOC, this could move the organisation away from The Goal, which is to make money. The interpretation of findings suggests that the procedure followed at Jonker Sailplanes was the most appropriate one. Finally, recommendations are made for future studies in terms of how to further improve the impact of the TLS implementation at Jonker Sailplanes. / Thesis (M.Ing. (Development and Management))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2011.

Saab är ett ledande företag på marknaden inom försvar- och säkerhetslösningar. De levererar produkter, tjänster och lösningar inom både militärt försvar och civil säkerhet. Saab Aeronautics tillverkar och utvecklar stridsflygplanet JAS 39 Gripen. Saab har en pågående affär med det brasilianska flygvapnet som inkluderar produktion och utveckling av totalt 36 stycken stridsflygplan av modellerna Gripen E och Gripen F. Planering kan ske på strategisk, taktisk eller operativ nivå. Om leveranstiden till kunden är lång är det vanligt att den strategiska och taktiska nivån slås samman, vilket också är fallet på Saab där nivåerna slagits samman och benämns som huvudplanering. Huvudplaneringen har som uppgift att ta fram ett huvudprogram för produktion av Gripen med en planeringshorisont på tio år. För att produktionen ska vara effektiv är det viktigt att huvudprogrammet är så bra utformat som möjligt, samt att det inkluderar alla avtalade teknikutbyten. I dagsläget har huvudplaneringen inget optimeringsverktyg som på ett systematiskt vis inkluderar de faktorer som bör tas hänsyn till vid framtagandet av ett huvudprogram. Syftet med examensarbetet är att utreda vad som krävs för att huvudplaneringen ska kunna ta hänsyn till fler faktorer vid framtagande av huvudprogram. En matematisk modell för Saab togs fram och därefter var planen att implementera den i Excel, eftersom huvudplaneringen använder denna programvara i dagsläget. Under arbetets gång upptäcktes det att Excel har begränsningar som gjorde att det inte var möjligt att implementera den matematiska modellen enligt den matematiska notationen. En avvägning om att endera fokusera på implementerbarhet eller teknisk noggrannhet gjordes och implementerbarhet valdes. Ett verktyg som inkluderar de krav som anges i den matematiska modellen skapades i Excel. För att verifiera den matematiska modellen implementerades den i optimeringsverktyget AMPL. Därefter gjordes en jämförelse mellan de olika verktygen för att visa på eventuella skillnader i resultatet som de genererade. Arbetet resulterade i en matematisk modell för Saab och ett verktyg i Excel. Modellen tar hänsyn till olika typer av teknikutbyte, att ledtiden är inom tillåtet tidsspann för varje aktivitet och att glapptider minimeras. Verktyg i Excel tar hänsyn till faktorerna som inkluderades i den matematiska modellen. För att målet ska uppnås krävs djupare utredning kring befintliga programvaror eller att investera i en ny programvara. / Saab is a global company within defense and security, and they deliver products, services and solutions within military defense and civil security. The business area Aeronautics develop and produce the aircraft system JAS 39 Gripen. Saab has a contract with the Brazilian air force which includes development and production of 36 aircraft systems. There are three different levels of planning, strategical, tactical and operational. It is common to merge the strategical and tactical level if the delivery time is long. The strategical and tactical level at Saab is one unit and they are called Master Planning. The main task for Master Planning is to create a master production schedule with a planning horizon of ten years. It is important that the master production schedule includes all technological transfers and that the schedule is as efficient as possible. They do not use any technological tool that systematically includes all factors that needs to be taken into account when creating a schedule. The aim with this master thesis is to investigate how more factors can be integrated when developing the master production schedule. A mathematical model for Saab was created. Then the plan was to implement the mathematical model in Excel, since the Master Planning use this tool currently. During the implementation it was discovered that Excel has limitations that makes it impossible to implement the mathematical model according to the mathematical notation. A tradeoff was made, to either focus on implementability or technological accuracy, and implementability was chosen. Then a tool was created in Excel, which includes the requirements from the mathematical model. To verify the mathematical model, it was implemented in the optimization tool AMPL. Then a comparison between Excel and AMPL was made, to be able to show possible differences. The result of the master thesis is a mathematical model for Saab and a tool in Excel. The mathematical model includes different types of technological transfer, lead time requirements and minimization of gap time. The tool in Excel includes the requirements which is specified in the mathematical model. To be able to achieve the goal, an investigation must be done to find out if Saab can use any existing software at the company or if they need to invest in a new type of software.