<p>This thesis deals with the development of the competence tocreate assembly efficient products. The assembly-relatedknowledge that is resident within an organisation is ofinestimable value and should be used, refined and developed inorder to obtain assembly efficient products. The question ishow competence development can be promoted organisationally.This thesis has adopted the working hypothesis thatmodularisation promotes competence in the development ofassembly efficient products. This position is based on theliterature regarding competence development,competence-promoting organisations, and concurrentengineering.</p><p>The empirical research reported in this thesis is along-term case study carried out at Volvo Car Corporation. Inthe licentiate thesis that preceded this doctoral thesis, itwas suggested that assembly work should be based on modules.The further topics researched in this thesis includeexamination of a modularisation process, examination of thecommunication interface between the assembly organisation andthe product development organisation, the effects ofmodularisation on the assembly process, and an investigation ofthe development of two assembly efficient products.</p><p>The product of the research is a model representing theorganisational prerequisites for developing competence in thecreation of assembly efficient products. The key elements inthe model are a transparent organisational structure, clearintention in the organisation, and accommodation ofcross-functional exchange. Modularisation is a means ofcreating a transparent organisational structure that makes itpossible for members of the organisation to understand thecontext in which they work, which is a basic requirement fordeveloping competence. A structure for cross-functionalcooperation should be put in place to facilitatecross-functional exchange and learning. To succeed indeveloping assembly efficient products, an organisation mustalso clear signal that this is its intention. Visions, goalsand strategies must express this ambition. Only then will themembers of the organisation have the mindset that enables themto use their full potential to develop competence in creatingassembly efficient products.</p><p><b>Keywords:</b>competence-promoting organisation, transparentorganisation, modularisation, assembly efficiency, automobileindustry</p>

<p>ITT Flygt är ett internationellt bolag som producerar mixers och dränkbara pumpar för den globala marknaden. Den största produktionsanläggningen är placerad i Sverige men det finns ett flertal fabriker runt om i världen, till exempel i Kina. Den kinesiska fabriken i Shenyang producerar pumpar som tillhör det lilla och mellanstora sortimentet. För att vinna fördelar på den kinesiska marknaden har ett projekt startas med målet att komplettera den befintliga tillverkningen i Kina med tillverkning av de största pumparna. Denna rapport beskriver en förstudie av ett produktionssystem anpassat för tillverkning av stora pumpar i Kina.</p><p>En studie av det befintliga produktionssystemet för stora pumpar i Sverige ger en möjlighet att dela in tillverkningen i olika mindre delar, processer. Innehållet i varje process, gränssnitten mellan dem och de resurser som behövs för varje process kartläggs. Dessa parametrar tillsammans med en lista över befintliga resurser i Kina utgör grunden för att ta fram alternativ för det nya produktionssystemet i Kina. De befintliga resurserna i Kina kartläggs med hjälp av intervjuer och studiebesök till fabriken i Shenyang. Det finns ytterligare en fabrik i Kina som kan användas för tillverkningen av stora pumpar. Den är belägen i Nanjing och erbjuder en möjlighet att prova pumpar med befintlig utrustning.</p><p>Bland de möjliga alternativen för ett nytt produktionssystem finns en lösning där alla processer görs i Shenyang men även flera alternativ där tillverkningen delas mellan de två fabrikerna för att utnyttja befintliga resurser så effektivt som möjligt. I jämförelsen mellan de olika alternativen belyses de möjliga lösningarnas fördelar och nackdelar för att ge en så god jämförelse mellan alternativen som möjligt.</p><p>Rekommendationerna är baserade på praktiska aspekter och de teorier som presenteras i rapportens teoridel. Stor vikt har lagts vid förmågan att utnyttja befintliga resurser för att minimera investeringsbehovet och därigenom kompensera för de låga produktionsvolymer som blir aktuella för tillverkningen av stora pumpar i Kina. Det rekommenderade förslaget utnyttjar båda fabrikerna i Kina. Bearbetning och huvudmontering kan göras i Shenyang medan provning och de processer som kommer efter provningen bör göras i Nanjing. Målningens placering bör utredas ytterligare genom att jämföra kostnaderna för de investeringar som måste göras i de olika fabrikerna och väga dem mot fördelarna med att måla pumparna i Shenyang.</p><p>Den rekommenderade lösningen beskrivs på en övergripande nivå där fokus lagts på ordningen i vilken de olika processerna utförs samt var processerna placeras. Nästa steg för företaget är att gå igenom förslaget på en mer detaljrik nivå och designa produktionssystemet mer i detalj för att förbereda för produktionen av stora pumpar i Kina.</p> / <p>ITT Flygt is an international company that produces mixers and submersible pumps for a global market. The main production site is located in Sweden but there are other production plants all over the world, for instance in China. The plant in Shenyang, China, manufactures small and midsize pumps but in order to gain advantages on the Chinese market a project to start production of the largest pumps in China has been initiated. This thesis describes a study of possible alternatives for a production system dedicated to the production of large pumps in China.</p><p>A study of the existing production system for large pumps in Sweden gives a chance to divide the production into smaller parts, processes, to facilitate the future work. The content of each process, the interfaces between the processes and the resources needed for each process are examined. These parameters and the list of existing resources in China are used in the process of generating alternatives for the new production system in China. The list of existing resources in China is created by the means of interviews and studies of Flygt’s factory in Shenyang. There is also another factory in China that can be used for the new production system. This plant, located in Nanjing, can also be used for testing pumps and for other processes, but it has not been visited.</p><p>The possible alternatives include a solution where all the processes are performed in Shenyang and several different options where the work is divided among the two plants in order to utilize the existing resources in the best possible way. In the discussion of possible alternatives their strengths and weaknesses are discussed so that all the proposed ideas are compared relative to each other.</p><p>The recommendations are based on practical aspects as well as theories presented in the theoretical framework. Much emphasis is given to the ability to use existing knowledge and resources in order to minimize the need for investments to compensate for the low volume of large pumps that initially will be produced in China. The recommended system is a solution where both plants are used. The machining and main assembly should be located in Shenyang and the testing and all the processes following the testing should be located in Nanjing. The location of the washing and painting process has to be analyzed further by comparing the costs for needed investments. The costs should also be compared to the advantages of locating the washing and painting process in Shenyang.</p><p>The recommended solutions are discussed on a comprehensive level, mainly focusing on the location and the order of the processes. The next step for the company is to design the processes in detail in order to prepare for the production of large pumps in China.</p>

Thesis (M.Sc.)--Memorial University of Newfoundland, 2001. / Restricted until June 2002. The CD-ROM "contains the latest version of the simulation code. The code is contained in .tar.gz, .tar.Z and .zip files. There are also brief instructions for the interested reader on how to compile and run the simulations"--Appendix A. Bibliography: leaves 122-137.

Thesis (D. Min.)--Erskine Theological Seminary, 1999. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 196-205).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Chicago, Dept of Chemistry, August 2003. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (D. Min.)--Northern Baptist Theological Seminary, 2001. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 103-106).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Washington, 2002. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 187-201).

Current technology trends continue to increase the power density of modern processors at an exponential rate. The increasing transistor density has significantly impacted cooling and power requirements and if left unchecked, the power barrier will adverselyaffect performance gains in the near future. In this work, we investigate the problem ofinstruction reordering for improving both performance and power requirements. Recently,a new scheduling technique, called Forced Directed Instruction Scheduling, or FDIS, hasbeen proposed in the literature for use in high level synthesis as well as instruction reordering [15, 16, 6]. This thesis extends the FDIS algorithm by adding several features suchas control instruction handling, register renaming in order to obtain better performanceand power reduction. Experimental results indicate that performance improvements up to24.62% and power reduction up to 23.98% are obtained on a selected set of benchmark programs.

The prestress loss estimation provision in the AASHTO LRFD Bridge Design Specifications was recalibrated in 2005 to be more accurate for "high-strength [conventional] concrete." Greater accuracy may imply less conservatism, the result of which may be flexural cracking of beams under service loads. Concern with a potential lack of conservatism and the degree of complexity of these recalibrated prestress loss estimation provisions prompted the investigation to be discussed in this dissertation. The primary objectives of this investigation were: (1) to assess the conservatism and accuracy of the current prestress loss provisions, (2) to identify the benefits and weaknesses of using the AASHTO LRFD 2004 and 2005 prestress loss provisions, and (3) to make recommendations to simplify the current provisions. These objectives were accomplished through (1) the fabrication, conditioning, and testing of 30 field-representative girders, (2) the assembly and analysis of a prestress loss database unmatched in size and diversity when compared with previously assembled databases, and (3) a parametric study investigating the design implications and sensitivity of the current loss provisions. Based on the database evaluation coupled with the experimental results, it was revealed that the use of the AASHTO LRFD 2005 prestress loss provisions resulted in underestimation of the prestress loss in nearly half of all cases. A loss estimation procedure was developed based on the AASHTO LRFD 2005 provisions to greatly simplify the procedure and provide a reasonable level of conservatism. / text

This research investigates a metallurgy manufacturer whose products are assembled on fixed position assembly islands. The products of collaborating company are characterized by large-scale with high complexity and mass customization. With such configuration, a product is always set on one location throughout its whole assembly cycle. Assembly materials, machines and operators can be continuity sent to one location to reduce damage or movement cost. To understand the production challenges of a real-life enterprise, this research investigates production procedures of the collaborating enterprise on planning, scheduling, logistics and assembly. The management challenges of assembly method with fixed-position layout are summarized as: (1) High dynamic of material, tools and operator movement. (2) The movement of operators, assembly machines maybe expensive. (3) The requirements of assembly operators are too high to find suitable operators with low cost. The cause of current production problems of the collaborating enterprise are summarized as: (1) lack of appropriate real-time operation data capturing and collection methods (2) current visibility and traceability functions at shop floor is wasteful, time consuming and inaccuracy (3) production data can hardly be synchronized between different production unites, e.g. assembly island buffers and stock areas. Hence RFID technology is applied to solve the problems. The creation of RFID-enable assembly environment is following the AUTOM RFID implementation solutions. The methodology of deployment RFID hardware facilities and the functions of choosing production object to tag RFID tags, finding value-adding points to deploy RFID readers and building networks to integrate the RFID hardware facilities are introduced. Decision support system is developed to connect and transfer information between shop-floor execution and decision. This system guides executions and collects real-time information involved in execution procedures and converts the information as reference for decision makers. This system can also release shop-floor decisions instantly to operators. Four core components including Explorers, Modules, Services and Data repository compose the framework. These four components interrelates to each other to guarantee the smooth shop-floor information transformation. Finally, a case study demonstrates the RFID solution has been successfully deployed in proof-of-concept shop floor of the collaborating enterprise. The decision support system can proper manage the captured real-time information and convert the information into useful reference data for decision makers. As the operation processes of this case is designed strictly following the real-life operation processes, therefore this RFID solution is capable to be applied in real-life shop floor to assist the enterprise operation and management. / published_or_final_version / Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering / Master / Master of Philosophy