Background: Today’s business environment is characterized by fast-changing technologies and shorter product life-cycles, well-educated customers and fierce competition. Within this context, agile manufacturing is praised in the literature as one of the solutions for achieving and maintaining a competitive advantage in turbulent times. Aim: The purpose of this master thesis is to fill in the identified theoretical and empirical gaps by exploring and scrutinizing the relevancy of the agile manufacturing concept in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in the computer, electronic and optical manufacturing industry in Sweden. Furthermore, a model illustrating the agile manufacturing enablers applied in the selected industry will be developed. Definition: Agile manufacturing can be defined as a new production concept integrating employees, suppliers and customers, as well as units of production by using the support of software and communication systems. Methodology: Eight interviews with managers have been conducted in order to capture the big picture of how the SMEs in the chosen industry enable responsiveness to changes. A survey answered by 50 SMEs within the same industry was carried out in order to test the interview findings on a larger scale and to provide the basis for a further comparison with the existing agile manufacturing body of knowledge Results: Agile manufacturing is indeed relevant in the studied industry as it is driven by agility drivers and thus characterized by fast-changing technologies and well-educated customers. However, the agile manufacturing enablers partly differ from the ones praised in the literature and are more adjusted to the size and characteristics of SMEs. Nevertheless, a conscious awareness of the agile manufacturing concept itself was not found and the enablers identified were rather described as logical business thinking.

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In the era of low-margin products, Taiwan¡¦s electronics manufacturing service (EMS) providers, who produce communication, computers, and consumer electronics products, have become the most important partners to the most prominent international brand retailers. This is due to their premium cost advantages and superior efficiency in supply chain management through their global expansion and resourcing strategies. EMS providers¡¦ strong connections with component suppliers are another key factor contributing to their success. Following the EMS manufacturers¡¦ global expansion and resourcing strategies, the component suppliers have to set up factories in China, South East Asia, East Europe and Latin America. As these component suppliers are usually small- and medium-sized enterprises or are start-up businesses, their resources are not as abundant as the EMS manufacturers. As a result, it is more difficult and requires extra care when attempting to become globalized. As well, they normally have to learn as they proceed and this pertains to human capital, financial resources and the competency to operate globally This research is concern with human resources management. In other words, ¡§based on EMS manufacturers¡¦ global disposition strategy, how do the component suppliers develop their human resources to set up the factories globally.¡¨ This research defines human resources management as employment and development. This study utilizes the human resources development practices of the EMS manufacturers as the benchmark for component suppliers. As a result, two EMS manufacturers and one component supplier are chosen as objects of study. This shall help to generalize the principle practices used in human resources development of the EMS manufacturers and hopefully implications for component suppliers can be derived. The research is based on a case study. Three conclusions are generated from data collection and analyses: 1.With a prominent trend towards globalization, the human resources department of the EMS manufacturers has transformed its role from a conventional unit in charge of daily routine activities such as recruitment, training and promotion to a value-added one. 2.According to the human resources management philosophies adopted by different EMS manufacturers, the human resources acquisition strategy can be categorized into two types. The first type is a group with a higher commitment in human resources while the other does not have as much. The former group which has a higher commitment concentrates on internal training. This group prefers to train staffs by themselves and uses both physical and virtual training platforms. The latter group which has a lower commitment acquires staffs from the labor market directly and target in using the physical training platform. 3.In addition to evaluating the employees¡¦ capability, personality curves can also be developed during the recruiting process. Human resource development solely by physical platform is insufficient and it is essential to incorporate the electronic platform to enhance its effectiveness.

This study armed to develop a biofilter packed only with fern chips for the removal of air-borne low concentration VOCs (volatile organic compounds) emitted from semiconductor manufacturing industries. The fern chip biofilters could avoid the shortcomings of traditional media, such as compaction, drying, and breakdown, which lead to the performance failure of the biofilters. Performance of biofiltration for removal of simulated semiconductor manufacturing emitted gases consisting of IPA (isopropyl alcohol), acetone, HMDS (hexamethylene disilazane), PGME (propylene glycol monomethyl ether), and PGMEA (propylene glycol monomethyl ether acetate) was studied in a pilot-scale biofilter consisted of two columns (40-cmW x 40-cmL x 70-cmH acrylic column) arranged in series. Each column was packed with fern chips to a packing volume of around 56 L (0.40 m¡Ñ0.40 m¡Ñ0.35 mH). A sprinkler was set over the packed fern chips for providing them with water and nutrition solutions. Liquid leached from both layers of chips were collected in the bottom container of the column. The experiment lasted for 182 days which was divided into four phases with varying influent gas flow rates and VOC concentrations. Gas samples collected around 3 times per week from the influent as well a the first and second stage effluents were analyzed for VOC concentrations. On a weekly basis, fern chips sampled from each column were also analyzed for getting pH, moisture, and the absorbed VOC content of the chips. Phase shifted if it obtained a quasi-steady state which was judged by the nearly unchanging VOC removal efficiencies. Operation conditions of an empty bed retention time (EBRT) of 1.50 min and influent VOC concentrations of 159-284 mg/m3 were used in the Phase I experiment which lasted for 15 days. Nutrition of 1.34 g milk powder/m3.d was used in this phase and the conditions gave an average volumetric VOC loading (L) of 15.1 g/m3.h. Effluent VOC concentrations were 3-18 mg/m3 and an average VOC removal of 96% was obtained in this phase. An EBRT of 0.75 min, L of 11.44 g/m3.h, and nutrition of 1.34 g milk powder/m3.d were used in the Phase II experiment. VOCs in the gas could be removed from 90-126 to 1-19.6 mg/m3 and an average efficiency of 94% was obtained. Following Phase II, an average VOC removal of only 48% was obtained with an EBRT of 0.75 min, nutrition of 2.0 g milk powder/m3.d, and L of 22.8 g/m3.h in Phases III experiment during the 56-97th days from the startup time. Additional nitrogen (urea) and phosphorus (potassium dihydrogen phosphate) was added to the media from the 105th day and the VOC removal increased to 80% at the 107th day. An average VOC removal of around 93% was obtained in phase III experiment. The results showed that enough nutrition is essential to the successful performance for the biofiltration process. Phase IV experiment lasted for 59 days with an EBRT of 0.75 min, L of 34.1 g/m3.h, and nutrition of 2.0-6.0 g/m3.d. During the initial period of this phase, media pH dropped from 7.8 to 5.8 due to an excess nitrogen (ammonium chloride) addition as high as 12.35 g N/m3.d which resulted in nitrification reaction in the media. By stopping nitrogen, increasing milk powder dosing, and addition of NaHCO3 at the 140th day, pH restored to 7.5 in the following days. VOC removal increased to an average of 92% in the rest operation days. From the results, it could be proposed that for achieving over 90% of the VOC removal, appropriate operation conditions are media moisture content = 52-65%, media pH = 7-8, influent VOC concentration = 150-450 mg/Am3, EBRT = 0.75 min, and L to the whole media = 11-34 g/m3.h.

While the amount of textual data available to us is constantly increasing, managing the texts by human effort is clearly inadequate for the volume and complexity of the information involved. Consequently, requirement for automated extraction of useful knowledge from huge amounts of textual data to assist human analysis is apparent. Text mining (TM) is mostly an automated technique that aims to discover knowledge from textual data. In this thesis, the notion of text mining, its techniques, applications are presented. In particular, the study provides the definition and overview of concepts in text categorization. This would include document representation models, weighting schemes, feature selection methods, feature extraction, performance measure and machine learning techniques. The thesis details the functionality of text mining as a quality improvement tool. It carries out an extensive survey of text mining applications within service sector and manufacturing industry. It presents two broad experimental studies tackling the potential use of text mining for the hotel industry (the comment card analysis), and in automobile manufacturer (miles per gallon analysis). Keywords: Text Mining, Text Categorization, Quality Improvement, Service Sector, Manufacturing Industry.

<p>Small and medium sized companies are important to the European economy and considered as the true backbone of the European economy, being primarily responsi-ble for wealth and economic growth. Further, the purchasing function of small and medium sized companies had become more and more important to firms within the creating of competitive advantages. Additional, former research emphasizes the need of companies to engage in closer relationships in order to survive in nowadays business environments.</p><p>These three issues, - SMEs, its purchasing performance and the relationships the small and medium sized firms are engaged with are interrelated and therefore the essences of the thesis. The thesis is limited to the manufacturing industry due to the potential wide area of small and medium sized companies.</p><p>The purpose of the thesis is to examine the purchasing practices of small and me-dium sized enterprises with a focus on strategic considerations and supplier relation-ships.</p><p>The research project is developed with four single case studies. Participating companies were two small sized manufacturing companies and two medium sized manufac-turing companies, defined according to the definition of the European Commission.</p><p>The study is built on a critical review of former literature and research findings within the purchasing area and the area of small and medium sized companies. The find-ings from literature review (frame of references) and the findings from the empirical study were connected in order to fulfill the purpose of the thesis as well as the developed research questions.</p><p>In the analysis, the characteristics of SMEs purchasing process were outlined. Evi-dence for strategic consideration were found and the characteristics of the companies relationships where established.</p><p>Small and medium sized enterprises have developed its purchasing performance po-sitively in the comparison to former research findings. By using business technology systems, strategic planning and deliberations and finally through building close and long-term relationships, manufacturing SMEs found a suitable ways to perform its purchasing activities successful and found its place in sophisticated supply chains.</p>

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The Western world manufacturing industry is facing a tough global market today. The production is moved to developing countries, where the production costs are much lower. Big manufacturing companies like VOLVO, SKF and ABB are all following this trend. The tradition in the manufacturing industry is to produce and sell a product, where the best scenario is to never see it again. This tradition is starting to change and the focus of revenue from the whole product life cycle has increased during the last decades. When utilities the whole life cycle with different services the revenue increases drastically, there is a competitive advantage, a more stabile revenue flow in economic cycles, socio-economical and environmental sustainability. When increasing service orientation, there will be challenges to overcome, discovered on a conceptual level, thereby the research call for how these challenges can be seen at an operative level. The purpose of this thesis is to identify these critical factors and understand these at an operative level. This master thesis was conducted through a case study and used several data collection methods, such as interviews, observations and literature review. The empirical data was thematically analysed and categorized as different critical factors and compeered with the literature. The case company chosen for the thesis is the Rolls-Royce site in Kristinehamn, Sweden. They are in a process of restructuring, where the production is downsized. A “catch 22” problem was seen; when a manufacturer becomes more service orientated the aim is to generate a profit from services, meaning that a service needs a fee. But the possibility to put a fee on a service is hindered by the lack of service orientation within the manufacturing organisation. In this thesis increased service orientation is used to create a foundation for charged services. Critical factors on an operative level was identified and understood. Two new critical factors that were found to have an impact in this specific case were concluded. A general model of how to approach the problem of putting a fee on services, starting in the end of service orientation, is conducted. This gives an implication of how manufacturers can improve their service orientation and eventually set a fee on their free services.

Χρησιμοποιώντας δεδομένα σε κλαδικό επίπεδο, διερευνήσαμε την επίδραση που ασκεί η τιμή του πετρελαίου στην επενδυτική δραστηριότητα των επιχειρήσεων και την συνεπακόλουθη αβεβαιότητα που δημιουργεί το πετρέλαιο στις επιχειρήσεις. Το θεωρητικό υπόβαθρο δόθηκε από μοντέλα που μελετούν την επίδραση του κόστους του πετρελαίου στην επένδυση και στο προϊόν της επιχείρησης καθώς και την γραμμικότητα αυτής της επίδρασης. Επίσης, παρουσιάστηκαν μοντέλα που μελετούν την επενδυτική αδράνεια λόγω της αβεβαιότητας και την επιλογή της μη επένδυσης. Σύμφωνα με τα ευρήματα της εργασίας, το κόστος του πετρελαίου ασκεί αρνητική επίδραση στην συνολική επένδυση και στην επένδυση σε μηχανολογικό εξοπλισμό κι επιπλέον αυτή η επίδραση είναι γραμμική. Επίσης, βρέθηκε ότι η διακύμανση των τιμών του πετρελαίου δεν επιδρά στην επενδυτική δραστηριότητα των επιχειρήσεων. Συνοπτικά, αύξηση στις τιμές του πετρελαίου μειώνει την επένδυση σε μηχανολογικό εξοπλισμό, αφού αποτελεί την κύρια μορφή επένδυσης σε κατασκευαστικές επιχειρήσεις που μελετώνται στην εν λόγω έρευνα. / Using industry level data, we investigated the effect that oil prices exert on firm’s investment activity and whether the decision to invest is affected by oil price uncertainty. The theoretical background is given by models emphasizing the effect of oil price on firm’s investment and product as well as the linearity of that effect. Furthermore, some of the theoretical models, which presented in the paper, include investment inactivity because of uncertainty and the choice of investment inaction. According to our results, oil price affects negatively total investment and machinery equipment investment, and that effect is linear. Moreover, the variance of oil price does not affect firm’s investment activity. Essentially, an increase in oil prices reduces investment in mechanical equipment, which is the dominating cost of investment in manufacturing industry that is studied in the paper.

The trade unions called in May 2005 for a nationwide strike of all retail stores unless the retail stores agree to stock a 75% local content of garments on their shelves. Retail stores have called on the Department of Trade and Industry for a national summit to address the crisis facing the clothing industry. The Department of Trade and Industry in turn has appointed a task team to investigate the current situation in the clothing industry. On the surface it would appear that there is a serious crisis in the clothing manufacturing industry in South Africa and there is, but the big issue is what is causing the crisis. The answer is simply, the strength of the rand. This study was prepared to determine the reasons for the demise of the clothing manufacturing industry in South Africa. The study conducted a survey on various parties and organisations concerned with the wellbeing of the industry to determine what their opinions were relating to the crisis facing the industry. The results of the survey revealed a host of reasons contributing to the decline of the industry. These reasons include the rigidness and inflexibility of the labour relations system in South Africa which has led to an unproductive and inefficient labour force in the industry. The lack of investment incentives in the industry is also determined as a cause of the crisis in the industry. Retail buyers are deemed to be price makers forcing the industry to seek alternative means away from local manufacture to reduce prices resulting in the importation of garment from abroad. / Thesis (MBA)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2005.