During the last decades, it has been brought to light that well organized logistics processes have contributed to competitive advantages for companies. Mio AB, a chain store warehouse and the second largest furniture company in Sweden, is operating in the middle of an expansion phase with growing revenue. As a consequence, larger volumes of goods are handled, space utilization become more scarce and the everyday operations within the internal logistics are affected. Therefore, the processes within the warehouse department were measured by performing a frequency study, registering how time was distributed between the different work tasks. In order to fully understand the processes, interviews were held with management and personnel. After analyzing previous research that could help guide to ease the impositions and analyzing the result of the frequency study, wastes were identified and new ways of working were suggested. The result firstly presents how to organize internal logistics operations in chain store warehouses to gain competitive advantage. Secondly, keeping in mind that firefighting stressed situations usually is not sustainable and only eases loads temporarily, long-term sustainability and ethics were addressed. Concluding that in order to optimize internal logistics operations in chain store warehouses and gain a long-term competitive advantage in a sustainable way, are achieved through standardizing work tasks, ensuring commitment of management and personnel and applying systems to serve the people and processes. Lastly it is advised to keep in mind the impact a company have on its surroundings and the importance of engaging in sustainable and ethically friendly operations, in order to achieve long-term competitive logistics.

Logistik är den del av ett företag som påverkar företagets resultat på ett mycket betydande sätt. Kunden ställer krav på att få sin produkt levererad på en viss tidpunkt och om produkten då inte levereras på utsatt datum kan detta leda till en förlorad kund och därmed förlorade framtida inkomster. För att lyckas leverera till kund på utsatt tid krävs det att många processer fungerar väl ihop och att ett välplanerat system är implementerat. Denna rapport är skriven på ICA Sverige ABs centrallager i Kungälv och handlar om effektivisering. Mer specifik effektivisering av användningen av truckar. Genom att förkorta körsträckor och eliminera icke-värdeskapande körsträckor kan man få ett mer effektivt lager. Jag har samlat in relevant data så som genomsnittlig sträcka per order samt information om vilka lagergångar som är mest trafikerade för att veta vart i lagret som problemet finns och varför det uppstått. Zon-indelning är en metod som är känd för att minska körsträckor på ett lager. En implementering av metoden underlättas också av att ICA i dagsläget har sorterat artiklarna på ett sådant sätt att de första tio lagergångarna är fyllda med SRS-backar. Det är en metod som inte bara förkortar körsträckor utan och effektiviserar materialhantering. Teoridelen av arbetet görs för att får en större insikt i ämnen logistik samt för att hitta och benämna de metoder som påverkar logistiken i ett företag. Olika typer av materialhanteringsmetoder, lagringsmetoder, artikelplaceringsmetoder är exempel på vad som beskrivs djupare. Analysen har gjort för att analysera och koppla samman de teorier som använts till de problem som behandlas i rapporten men även reflektioner och tankar kring varför teorierna har använts. Rapporten har skrivits på ICA Sverige ABs centrallager i Kungälv och har koncentrerats till färskvaruavdelningen där problemet med långa körsträckor har uppkommit. / Logistics is that part of a company that affects the company’s efficiency in a considerable way. The customer has demands on the product to have it delivered on a specific date and if the product isn’t delivered on that date the consequences may result in a loss of a customer and therefore a loss of income. To be able to deliver the product on the specific date to the customer there’s a couple of processes that need to work flawlessly together and that a well worked out system is implemented. This report is written at ICA Sverige AB’s central warehouse is Kungälv, Sweden. It surrounds the subject of efficiency in warehousing and usage of lift trucks. Thru minimizing the driving distance of the lift trucks and eliminating not-value processes you can create a more efficient warehouse. I’ve gathered information regarding average distance per completed order and information regarding which of the warehouse aisles is the busiest to get an insight in where the problem is and why it has occurred. Zone-picking is a method that is known to minimize lift truck distances in a warehouse. An implementation of this method at ICA is facilitated by the fact that the articles already are sorted in a way that the first ten aisles are filled with plastic crates. It’s a method that not only minimizes the lift truck distances but also make the material handling more efficient. The theory part of the report is done to get a bigger insight in the subject of logistics but also to find and mention methods that affect the logistics in a company. Different types of material handling methods, storage methods and article placement methods are examples of methods describe. The analyzing part of the report has been done to connect mentioned theories to main problems that the report is surrounding but also includes reflections and thoughts about why the theories have been used. The report has been written at ICA Sverige AB’s central warehouse in Kungälv and has been focused on the fresh food compartment of the warehouse where problems with long distances for the lift trucks has occurred.

Companies have put much focus on production systems to generate and maintain competitiveness which has contributed in less focus to logistics. The material flow is the process after the main processes and has therefore been regarded as “unimportant”. If the material flow fails, there can be consequences such as inventory-build ups or undersupply of material. Lean thinking is one strategy that may be applied to analyze and identify wastes, but the identification of problems has been harder to detect, while the ability to solve them has not improved at the same rate. Following two research questions has been asked to identify how companies should proceed to improve their inventory management but also what factors contribute to the inventory build-ups.  ·        What may cause excess inventory in manufacturing companies? <ul type="disc">How can a manufacturing company reduce WIP´s? The research method is based on a qualitative approach with an interpretivist research methodology to help answer the questions. A case study was done at a manufacturing company to help answer the research questions. The data has been collected by observations trough section B1 and unstructured interviews with both management and operators. The collected data was later compared to the literature according to the inductive reasoning to be able to make suggestions for improvements. The DMAIC tool has been a central point of this research regarding the mapping of the current state and suggestion of a future state. The case study was conducted at Company X AB in the middle of Sweden which is a company that manufactures components and complete solutions. The focus on production has resulted in less focus on the internal logistics. With the low focus on the internal logistics, inventory build-ups have occurred. The results point to the OEE being a contributing factor to the inventory build-up. The availability of both machines was low and therefore caused the OEE to be low. The low availability was caused by long changeovers, staff shortages, and emergency reparations. The conclusions are that Company X must make improvements so that the factors of the low availability decrease in frequency and severity to reduce the work-in-process (WIP). The improvements should be approached with different lean-tools such as SMED, KANBAN, FIFO and 5S.

The focus of this thesis is the optimization of material flow by changing the layout of racking systems and production lines. The theoretical part describes lean management and its use in internal logistics. Gained knowledge along with practical operating experience leads to the elaboration of analytical and design part, which provides a new solution to the presented problem and related savings in warehouse machine equipment and its staff.

During the past decades, there have been an acceleration of customers’ needs of customized products. This have pressured many companies in offering customized products in order to reach customer satisfaction and keep growing and expanding their market share. Nowadays the competitive pressure between companies with the same product segment is increasing and the market requirements are changing rapidly. To handle this competition, many manufacturing companies are focusing on mass customized production. However, mass customization has been a topic of interest for many researchers. The focus has been in studying and understanding the complexity and the constrains that a company encounter when dealing with mass customized production in mostly the automotive industry. One of the constrains that have been less highlighted by researchers were the effects that mass customized production has on the output variation of production lines. Therefore, the purpose of this thesis is to investigate how to minimize output variations in mass customized production within assembly lines. To do that the researchers focused on studying the output variation in whitegoods industry instead of the automotive industry that captures most of the existing research. The study includes two main research questions. The first question was to identify the factors that affect the output variation in mass customized production. While the second question was to identify applicable solutions that can be used to stabilize the output. To ensure the reliability and validity of the research findings, the researchers used multiple case study combined with literature reviews. To answer the research questions several data collection techniques were used in the multiple case study conducted on two lines. Those data collection techniques were participating observations, document reviews, a semi-structured interview and many conversations with the affected persons. The findings from the case study for research question one showed consistency with the theories described in the theoretical background. This was evident because similar problems when it comes to output variations were defined in the theories. One problem was about the simplification of assembly line balancing problem that was evident in both case studies. This was an effect of the missing product family classification which created a high output variation because of the use of only one line balancing for all product variants. Another problem identified included functionality problems of machines because of performing wrong assembly or the use of the wrong component. There was as well the problem of missing or delayed components which was an effect of the lack of structure in the material picking and the deliveries performed for both lines. A combination of those factors created the experienced output variation on both lines. To deal with those problems and minimize the output variation, a solution approach was defined in the second research question. This approach was created together with the case company with the help of the theoretical background and it presents several steps to follow when attacking and resolving similar problems as presented above. The most important conclusion of this thesis is that, when dealing with output variation in mass customized production where people are performing the assembly, it is essential to provide the right conditions for them to ensure that they have the right knowledge base to perform the requested assembly.

[pt] Em organizações hospitalares há uma grande variedade de produtos e existe o compromisso de não se permitir as perdas e o fracasso operacional (Portela, 2001). Uma maneira de se evitar essas perdas é o emprego racional dos medicamentos através de uma padronização (Klugl et al, 1999). Desse modo é possível criar valor ao paciente de modo que a farmácia consegue administrar os produtos de forma adequada oferecendo serviços de qualidade (Barbieri e Machline, 2006). Nesse cenário, a gestão dos custos das organizações de saúde tem papel estratégico. Medicamentos representam parcela significativa destes custos e a sua logística interna, complexa e com muitas particularidades, deve funcionar da melhor maneira possível. Isso porque os processos, nos quais estão envolvidos, são parte fundamental para a assistência de qualidade tanto prezada pelos hospitais. Este trabalho tem como objetivo investigar e analisar a situação atual de dois processos, unitarização e a dispensação que afetam diretamente a farmácia, observando as práticas, adotadas no segmento hospitalar. Para isto, foi feito uma análise das farmácias hospitalares e dos fluxos de ambos os processos com o objetivo de entendê-los melhor. Em seguida, estudou-se em um caso real, diagnosticando os pontos de melhoria da operação. Assim, pôde-se chegar a algumas soluções, que tiveram como objetivo otimizar os processos estudados, para os pontos de melhoria levantados e comprovar a hipótese de que a centralização do estoque pode ser aplicados, com devidas adaptações respeitando as particularidades, às organizações hospitalares. / [en] In hospital organizations there is a wide variety of products and there is a commitment not to allow the losses and the operational failure (Portela, 2001). One way to avoid these losses is the rational use of medicines through standardization (Klügl et al, 1999). Thus you can create value to the patient so that the pharmacy handling the products properly offering quality services (Barbieri and Machline, 2006). In this scenario, the management of the health costs organizations have strategic role. Medicines represent a significant portion of these costs and their internal logistics, complex and with many details, should work in the best possible way. This is because the processes, in which they are involved, are fundamental parts to the quality of care both prized by hospitals. This study aims to investigate and analyze the current situation of two processes, unitarization and the dispensation that directly affect the pharmacy, observing the practices adopted in the hospital segment. For this, he was made an analysis of hospital pharmacies and flows of both processes in order to understand them better. Then studied in a real case, diagnosing the points of improvement of the operation. Thus, we could come up with some solutions that were designed to optimize the processes studied for improvement points raised and prove the hypothesis that the stock of centralization can be applied, with necessary adaptations respecting the individual, to hospitals.

Traditional value stream mapping (VSM) is used to identify non-value-added (NVA) activities in lean production systems. However, VSM lacks flexibility and responsiveness due to its static nature, which limits its usage in complex and flexible production environments. Furthermore, in a production system, the internal logistics and production value streams are interconnected to each other. Therefore, they face the challenges of same nature such as poor material handling, lack of flexibility and lack of responsiveness. These challenges are disseminated from poor integration of internal logistics and production value streams. The lack of flexibility in VSM is discussed in previous research works to some extent but its lack of responsiveness has not received much attention. Similarly, poor material handling and lack of flexibility of internal logistics system are discussed extensively in previous research works; however, the lack of responsiveness of internal logistics has received very little attention. Furthermore, poor integration of internal logistics and production value streams has not received any attention in the previous research works. To overcome aforementioned challenges, this thesis emphasizes on combining digital technologies (e.g., RFIDs, sensors, barcodes, simulation and intelligent interfaces) with VSM and internal logistics system. However, there is very limited research that addresses improvement potentials in VSM and internal logistics system through digitalization. Therefore, this thesis aims to fill this gap by investigating the improvement potentials of digitalization for both value stream mapping and the internal logistics. In this regard, firstly the core challenges in value stream mapping and internal logistics system are identified. As a second step, possible improvement opportunities are identified in these two areas to increase the productivity of the production system through the adoption of digitalization. A qualitative research approach is performed in data collection methods such as observations and interviews. Furthermore, an empirical study is performed to provide an overview of the current production value streams and internal logistics system at a case company. The study concludes that the combination of VSM with simulation and real time data collection is vital to increase the flexibility and responsiveness of VSM. The improved flexibility and responsiveness of VSM will make it efficient to identify non-value-added activities. It is also discussed and demonstrated that the integration of internal logistics and production value streams can be improved through implementation of digital technologies such as AGVs, RFIDs/barcodes, IoT, data analytics and intelligent algorithms in the context of Industry 4.0. The improved integration of internal logistics and production value streams can improve the productivity of the production system to a large extent.

Aim: The study aims to develop a DES model to evaluate the impacts of implementing packaging and palletizing robotics in the goods-receipts process. Research questions: RQ1: “What are the requirements when developing a Discrete Event Simulation (DES) model of the goods receipt process in the internal logistics section of a manufacturing company?”, RQ2: “What is the impact of implementing a new layout with industrial palletizer robotics in manufacturing companies' internal logistics - specifically the goods receipt process in terms of robot Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE), throughput, and WIP?” and, RQ3: “What considerations should companies take into account when implementing industrial palletizer robotics in their internal logistics, in terms of process flow?” Methodology: This study applied an inductive approach, letting the empirical findings guide the themes explored in the theoretical framework while having a constant interplay between empirical data collection and the construction of the simulation model. Empirical data collection was collected via observation, time study, and documentation. Literature was collected via Scopus and restricted to peer-reviewed articles and book chapters. The simulation model building followed the steps presented by Banks (2005). Based on the model building and simulation model results, conclusions could be made. Conclusion: The study concluded and presented nine requirements to develop a DES model for the goods-receipt process in manufacturing companies' internal logistics. The impact of robot OEE was determined to be low, 24-27%, WIP increased, and throughput increased with the implementation of a new layout with an industrial palletizer robot. Lastly, to answer RQ3, the study concluded and presented six considerations for companies to take into account when evaluating the implementation of an industrial palletizer robot / Syfte: Studiens syfte är att utveckla en DES modell för att utvärdera effekterna av att implementera omplocknings- och palleteringsrobotar för avdelningen –ankommande gods.  Frågeställningar: "Vilka krav finns vid utvecklingen av en modell för diskret händelsesimulering (DES) av godsmottagningsprocessen inom den interna logistiken hos ett tillverkningsföretag?", "Vilken är effekten av att implementera en ny layout med industriella palleteringsrobotar i tillverkningsföretags interna logistik - specifikt inom godsmottagningsprocessen - i termer av robot (OEE), produktionskapacitet per timme, och WIP?" och "Vilka överväganden bör företag ta i beaktande vid implementeringen av industriella palleteringsrobotar inom sin interna logistik, med avseende på processflöde?" Metod: Denna studie använde en induktiv metod, där de empiriska resultaten styrde de teman som utforskades inom den teoretiska referensramen, samtidigt som det fanns en konstant samverkan mellan insamling av empiriska data och konstruktionen av simulationsmodellen. Empiriska data samlades in genom observation, tidsstudier och dokumentation. Litteratur samlades in via Scopus och begränsades till expertgranskade artiklar och bokkapitel. Byggandet av simulationsmodellen följde de steg som presenterades av Banks (2005). Baserat på modellbyggandet och resultaten från simulationsmodellen kunde slutsatser dras. Slutsats: Studien presenterade nio krav för att utveckla en DES-modell för godsmottagningsprocessen inom tillverkningsföretags interna logistik. Effekten av robotens OEE bedömdes vara låg, 24–27%. Work in Progress (WIP) ökade och produktionskapaciteten per timme ökade med införandet av en ny layout med en industriell palleteringsrobot. Slutligen, för att svara på den tredje forskningsfrågan, presenterade studien sex överväganden som företag bör ta hänsyn till vid utvärderingen av implementeringen av en industriell palleteringsrobot

The Swedish heavy vehicle manufacturer Scania is currently phasing out their main engine assembly line in favor of a new assembly line. As a consequence, there is a need to adjust the logistics to the phase-out to maintain efficiency and free up space. Due to a lack of literature on this particular subject, it has been noticed that both Scania and the literature could benefit from a theoretical methodology that provides general guidance on how to approach reductions in production volume from a logistics perspective. To explore this problem the study answers the research question ”How can heavy vehicle manufacturing companies optimize inventory space at an assembly line when the production volume decreases?”. The study focused on a smaller internal logistics area within Scania’s Södertälje assembly plant, to develop a theoretical methodology that is also applicable to other areas and companies facing similar challenges. The phase-out will be executed in stages, starting with the most common engine types. The production volume will be reduced by changing the takt and removing engine carriers. Takt is a term used to describe the time that an engine spends at each assembly line station. The reduction in production volume leads to a proportional reduction in the amount of material picked at the logistics platforms. Consequently, the material stays in stock for a longer time, and the efficiency of the material handlers decreases. To maintain the stocking times and efficiency of the material handler, the study found that packaging sizes should be reduced in proportion to the production volume, as this would enable the storage to hold fewer items of each article while also holding a larger variety of articles previously stored elsewhere. As a result, additional activities can be given to the material handlers, while also freeing up inventory space that can be used to introduce the new assembly line. Approaching these challenges can be done following the theoretical methodology that has been developed in this study, consisting of three steps: Overview of Potential Changes, Quantifying Inventory Changes, and Calculating Inventory Space. Guided by this theoretical methodology, the study identified that the main potential changes revolved around packaging sizes. Changes in packages were then quantified for the 220 articles stored in the logistics area and synchronized with the phase-out to maintain the current stocking times. At the first step of the phase-out, when the takt is reduced to 3/4-takt, 107 packages could be changed, resulting in a 34% reduction in inventory space, indicating that one of the three logistics platforms in the logistics area can be closed. In the following stages of the phase-out, the further reduction in inventory space is marginal resulting in a final reduction of 46% at 1/3-takt, which might suggest that other approaches are more beneficial later on. As a result of this study, companies facing challenges adjusting the logistics to reduced production volumes can find guidance in the theoretical methodology presented in this thesis. The theoretical methodology highlights important aspects to consider based on both literature and empirical findings from the case study so that the efficiency of the logistics can be maintained during assembly line phase-out / Den svenska lastbilstillverkaren Scania håller för närvarande på att fasa ut en av deras primära monteringslinor för att ersätta denna med en ny. En konsekvens av detta är att den interna logistiken måste anpassas för att behålla dess effektivitet och frigöra lageryta. I dagsläget är litteraturen inom detta ämne begränsad, vilket innebär att både Scania och litteraturen som helhet gynnas av en teoretisk metodik som generellt beskriver hur intern logistik kan anpassas vid varierande produktionsvolymer. För att undersöka detta besvarar denna studie forskningsfrågan ”Hur kan tunga fordonstillverkare optimera lageryta vid monteringslinor vid minskad produktionsvolym?”. Studien fokuserar på ett mindre internt logistikområde vid Scanias motormonteringsanläggning i Södertälje. Målet är att inom detta område presentera en teoretisk metod som är applicerbar på samtliga logistikområden på Scania, såväl som hos andra företag med liknande utmaningar. Scania planerar att genomföra utfasningen stegvis, där det första steget innebär att de vanligaste motortyperna fasas ut och övergår till den nya monteringslinan. Produktionsvolymen kommer att minskas genom taktminskning, samt genom att plocka bort ”carriers” (stativen som motorerna monteras på). Takt är en term som beskriver den tid varje enskild motor befinner sig vid varje monteringsstation. Den minskade produktionsvolymen innebär en proportionell minskning i åtgång av komponenter och produktionsmaterial. Till följd av detta ökar lagertiden och effektiviteten för materialhanterarna minskar. För att bibehålla lagertiden och effektiviteten visade studien att förpackningsstorlekarna borde minskas, vilket innebär att färre artiklar lagerhålls, samt att fler varianter av artiklar kan lagras på mindre yta. Vidare kan materialhanterarna tilldelas fler arbetsuppgifter och den frigjorda yta utnyttjas av den nya monteringslinan. Dessa utmaningar kan hanteras enligt följande metodik med tre steg: 1. Överblick över möjliga ändringar, 2. Kvantifiera möjliga lagerbesparingar och 3. Beräkna lagerbesparingar. Baserat på denna metodik, fann studien att den största potentialen fanns genom ändrade förpackningsstorlekar. Förpackningsändringarna kvantifierades för de 220 artiklarna inom det behandlade området, med hänsyn till taktreduceringen och bibehållen lagertid. Vid första nedrampningssteget när takten reducerats till 3/4, visade studien att 107 förpackningsändringar kunde genomföras, vilket resulterade i en reducering av lageryta på 34%. I praktiken innefattade denna minskning i krävd lageryta att en av tre logistikplattformar inom logistikområdet kan stängas ned. Vid efterföljande nedrampningssteg var lagerbesparingarna marginella med en slutlig reduktion på 46% vid 1/3-takt, vilket implicerar att andra aspekter borde beaktas senare under nedrampningsprocessen.  Avslutningsvis poängterar studien att företag med liknande utmaningar gällande logistik och reducerade produktionsvolymer kan finna vägledning med hjälp av den teoretiska metod som presenterats i denna studie. Denna metod belyser viktiga aspekter som måste beaktas, baserat på litteratur så väl som empiriska resultat från fallstudien. Detta med fokus på att bibehålla effektiviteten och minimera lageryta vid nedrampning av monteringslinor.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-03-05T17:04:34Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 30 / Nenhuma / No contexto de organizações humanas, o processo de avaliação de desempenho tem merecido a atenção de praticantes e pesquisadores, pois, pela avaliação de desempenho, a empresa pode identificar diferenciais que as ajudem a serem mais competitivas. Para tanto, o rápido desenvolvimento de produtos, integração de informações, tecnologias de comunicação avançadas, customização de produtos e coordenação de redes de suprimentos, vêm forçando as empresas à tomada de decisões mais rápidas. O uso de métodos qualitativos de apoio à decisão pode contribuir para reduzir riscos e gerenciar incertezas nesta tomada de decisão mais rápida. O objetivo deste trabalho foi apresentar um estudo de caso no qual foi desenvolvido e testado um método de análise das preferências dos gestores de operações logísticas empresariais internas. O resultado da aplicação do método foi comparado com o resultado de algumas decisões tomadas na empresa. A metodologia de pesquisa contou com um grupo focado, formado pelos gestores da logística in / The context of human organizations, researchers and professionals has considered a lot the process of performance evaluation, once it provides to the company to identify differentials which can help them to be more competitive. Therefore, the fast development of products, information integration, advanced communication technologies, customization of products and coordination of supply nets, is forcing the companies to take faster decisions. The use of qualitative method of support to the decision, may contribute to reduce risks and manage uncertainties in this faster decision taking. The objective of the present work was to present a case study in which was developed and tested an analysis method of the preferences of the internal entrepreneurial logistic operations managers. The result of the method’s application was compared to the result of some decisions taken in the company. The research methodology reckoned with a focus group formed by the company’s internal logistic managers, involving the supply, prod