The thesis work aimed at developing a framework for portfolio management and business case development that can be used as decision support for a company for new product development. The assignment was to study relevant literature resulting in an aggregated view on this topic and the parameters that impact successful product development. The literature involves project initiation, different levels of product innovation development and information about important research criteria to include when forming new product projects ideas. This information helps to support how to objectively evaluate and compare product projects. The literature also involves different relevant tools to use for providing information and manage product portfolio management along with their benefits. Out of this aggregated view, a template and suggested decision model specific for the company has been established. The resulting template has for purpose to be used for preparation of providing a solid information base when a new product project idea is to be presented. The decision base has the purpose to help the members and managers in the product council to form a decision on what product idea to proceed with, which hopefully will result into launch and success. The framework aims to assess individual product development initiatives as well as managing the product portfolio aspect. Except the study of a considerable amount of literature, qualitative research has been made as well. The qualitative research has been performed in the form of semi-structured interviews together with people within the company that has been used as case study in this report. The interviews contributes with information about the current state of the company’s product offering process together with attention paid for what is missing and what improvements that is sought. In such way, the qualitative research contribute to the result of the framework in the sense that it is attributed towards the company in the case study and thus slightly towards technological network industries, although the framework is made for a generic use. As by this thesis, the framework focus on one company, but it has for purpose to be adaptable and inspiring for any company with respect for the individual company’s restrictions.

Passenger safety and comfort are important aspects in the process of vehicle development. The world is heading towards developing the safest possible vehicle on the road. Using vehicle motion control functions is one of the ways to enhance vehicle stability. These motion control functions need to be developed in an energy optimised way. By complementing some of the development process with virtual models, both the development time and cost could be minimised. Hence, a sustainable way of control function development could be achieved. In order to verify, validate and calibrate vehicle motion control functions, an accurate model of the virtual vehicle is required. Hence, a research question on how good the virtual model needs to be for the purpose has been addressed. This report suggests a framework in order to determine the capabilities of a virtual vehicle.In this report, a comparison study has been carried out by exciting the real car and virtual model of a Volvo XC90 with a focus of covering the six degrees of freedom (Yaw, pitch, roll, longitudinal, lateral and vertical). A semi automated framework that possesses the capability of automating the testing in a virtual platform has been established. From the test results, the virtual vehicle capabilities were determined. Further, in the second part of the report, an example use case has been considered by taking two calibration sets of Electronic stability control (ESC) system in order to verify the previously established framework.The analysis includes various levels of plant and controller complexity such as Model-in-loop, Software-in-loop and Hardware-in-loop and on two different road surfaces, low friction and high friction. From the observations, the virtual models considered correlates well for the purpose of verification and validation. However, for the purpose of calibration, the models need to be fine-tuned in the virtual platform. Furthermore, the correlation on low friction road surface could be improved by simulating the tests using an advanced tyre model. Overall, this study helps in choosing the correct complexity of various subsystems in a vehicle for the purpose of verification, validation and calibration of vehicle motion control functions. / Passagerarsäkerhet och komfort är viktiga aspekter i utvecklingen av ett fordon. Världen är på väg mot att utveckla säkraste möjliga fordon på vägen. Användning av fordonetse rörelsekontrollfunktioner är ett av sätten att förbättra fordonets stabilitet. Dessa rörelsekontrollfunktioner måste utvecklas på ett energioptimerat sätt. Genom att komplettera en del av utvecklingsprocessen med virtuella modeller kan både utvecklingstid och kostnad minimeras. Därför kan ett hållbart sätt att utveckla funktionerna för kontrollfunktioner uppnås. För att verifiera, validera och kalibrera fordonets rörelsekontrollfunktioner krävs en detaljerad modell av ett virtuellt fordon. Därför har en forskningsfråga om hur bra den virtuella modellen måste vara för ändamålet behandlats. Denna rapport föreslår ett ramverk för att bestämma funktionerna hos virtuella fordon.I denna rapport har en jämförelsestudie genomförts genom att excitera den verkliga bilen och den virtuella modellen av en Volvo XC90 med fokus på att täcka de sex frihetsgraderna (gir, nick, roll, längs, lateral, vertikal). Ett semi-automatiserat ramverk som har förmågan att automatisera testningen i en virtuell plattform har skapats. Från testresultaten bestämdes de virtuella fordonsfunktionerna. Vidare har i den andra delen av rapporten ett exempel på användningsfall beaktats genom att man tar två kalibreringsuppsättningar av ESC-system (Electronic Stability Control) för att verifiera det tidigare etablerade ramverket.Analysen innefattar olika nivåer av modell- och styrenhetskomplexitet såsom Model-in-loop, Software-in-loop och Hardware-in-loop och på två olika vägytor, låg friktion och hög friktion. Enligt observationerna är de virtuella modellerna väl korrelerade för verifiering och validering. För kalibreringen måste dock modellerna finjusteras på den virtuella plattformen. Dessutom kunde korrelationen på lågfriktionsvägytan förbättras genom att simulera testerna med hjälp av en avancerad däckmodell. Sammantaget hjälper den här studien att välja rätt komplexitet hos olika delsystem i ett fordon för verifiering, validering och kalibrering av fordonets rörelsekontrollfunktioner.

The growing need for climate mitigation solutions has contributed so thatbiochar has gained significant interest. Primary for its ability as a carbon sinkbut there is also a growing interest due to several other aspects within industriese.g. substitution effects, increased resource efficiency, an enabler forindustrial symbiosis, and its beneficial properties when put in soil that can increasegrowth. Previous studies of biochar have been dominant within the environmentalperspective of biochar, analyzing detailed characteristics of its propertiesand carbon sink potential. Some studies have a holistic perspective reflectingon countries specific energy mix and the different benefits of producingbiochar. However, previous studies are far too few to determine the value-chainof biochar. Hence previous studies have knowledge gaps within the holistic lifecycle approach from a provider or customer perspective of biochar, not reflectingon demand for quality requirements in different utilization areas and markets.The need for validation of the environmental and the economic performanceof biochar has to be established, and the economic perspective of biochar hasmajor knowledge gaps since previous studies are scarce. The study aims to establish the value-chain of biochar by evaluating theenvironmental, economic, and social perspectives through life cycle thinking.The core of the study is to distinguish value, which first has to reflect thebiochar quality requirements from providers and customers, captured throughinterviews and literature research. The quality requirements enable a goal forproducing biochar and determine what processes and biomass are needed fordifferent markets. This is evaluated through a case development which considersthe different quality requirements. Life cycle assessment (LCA) with acradle-to-grave perspective and life cycle costing (LCC) with a cradle-to-gatewere then used to distinguish biochar´s environmental and economic performance. The interviews and researched literature resulted in three cases being developed,biochar application in electric arc furnaces in steel production, agriculturalapplication, and commercial application through biochar-macadam. Thesteel industry has higher quality requirements due to the need to have a similarcomposition as fossil coal, resulting in biochar produced from wood being theonly option. The limitations for agricultural application are more related tothe allowed amount of phosphorus per ha and thus all the researched biocharapplies to different degrees. Biochar application in biochar-macadam is similarto agricultural application, however limited due to the EBC certification notallowing the production of biochar from sludge. The generated results from the LCA show that the climate performance isvastly different depending on what biomass was utilized and the different markets.Biochar produced from park and garden, and wood results in a higher climateperformance due to the higher carbon sequestration compared to biocharproduced from straw and sludge, however depending on how the biocharis utilized, the performance varies. During biochar application in electric arcfurnaces, the majority of the produced carbon sink is destroyed which resultsin worse climate performance, instead the majority of the reduced emissionscomes from the substituted fossil coal. Compared to biochar application inagricultural and biochar-macadam where the carbon sink stays intact, steel applicationstill has worse climate performance even when including substitution.Biochar-macadam production results in more emissions compared to agriculturalapplication due to the need to mix biochar with stones and compost,thus biochar in agriculture is the best option from a climate perspective. The economic aspects are generated through the conducted LCC which resulted inbiochar produced from park and garden, and sludge being more beneficial dueto the absence of acquisition costs. Production of biochar from wood provesto be difficult when considering a larger time frame, with the market for steelproduction not returning the investment. Biochar produced from straw hasa positive return on investment when considering the agriculture market, butnot for the production of biochar-macadam. The results show that the marketof biochar is very uncertain due to being considered immature and a futuremarket. The major uncertainty is connected with the immaturity of the market.The quality requirements are not reflected in the market pricing which isone of the major reasons for biochar utilization in the steel industry not beingeconomically beneficial. The value chain of biochar is a combination of many different economic,environmental, and social values. The conducted LCA shows that there areclimate benefits due to carbon sequestration, and a possibility to replace fossilreferences. Other than biochar there are also by-products such as heat and oilwhich can be utilized, improving the climate performance further. The multipleproducts also have economic benefits due to the potential of creating multipleproducts. The carbon sink can be sold as carbon credits, and the heat can beutilized in district heating. For providers, the creation of biochar is an enablerto reduce environmental impact, utilize products already within the system,and create value from waste. The structure of biochar generates a lot of valuefor customers. The porosity enables water storing capabilities which increasesthe efficiency of watering. This reduced the amount needed for soil applications,while also securing the harvest from drought and flooding. Even though thevalue chain of biochar shows that there is a lot of potential, it is still uncertainhow it will be integrated into society, and how the market will be shaped in theyears to come.