Purpose - The purpose of this study is to investigate potential for and cost related impact of internal lead time reduction through coordination between materials supply and a production activity of customer-order-unique products. In order to achieve the purpose two questions are answered; 1. How can with respect to sourcing strategy, coordination between materials supply and production activity of customer-order-unique products be achieved? 2. How does a coordination affect cost items in related areas of the business? Method – Based on literature in the area of materials supply a theoretical framework for the study was established. The company JELD-WEN, an industrial manufacturer with customer-order-unique-production of fire- and safety-doors was used for a case study. Data collection was performed through interviews, observations and document studies. A comparison between the theoretical framework and empirical data generated the final results. Findings – Using a hybrid sourcing strategy, changes in materials supply through an internal call-off together with the materials feeding method kitting proves potential to reduce the internal lead time in the manufacturing process. An economic impact of such coordination with a production activity has been found for three cost items; handling cost (increase), administrative order cost (increase/decrease) and inventory carrying cost (increase/decrease). Implications – The study does not contribute to new theory in the field. Instead existing theory and relations defined in the theoretical framework have been verified by the case study. Internal lead time reduction identified in the study may be used in other ways than by the means of an improved customer offer. This can be done through sharing time to other time-exposed activities in the manufacturing process or as an additional safety time for finished products to secure company's delivery accuracy. Therefore, in a decision situation for change affected cost items should be assessed in contrast to the more indirect value of a lead time reduction. Limitations – Modifications of materials supply occurs in a context where conditions outside the unit of analysis plays a crucial role and thereby limits the possible usage of the potential lead time reduction. The study handles impact of cost items in a general direction (increase or decrease). Absolute terms contribute to more precise consequences and are probably necessary to support a company's final financial decision of using an alternative approach in materials supply.

One of the key decisions for every assembly line is the decision about the materials feedingsystem which means the method of supplying materials to the operators. This decision affectsall of the other activities performed as well as the performance of the assembly line. In theindustry, kitting is practiced as a method of materials feeding among others such ascontinuous supply, batching and sequencing.Kitting is the name for the practice of feeding components and subassemblies to the assemblyline in predetermined quantities that are placed together in specific containers. In the industrykitting activities are used to solve the issues of:· Lack of space· Quality· Flexibility· Materials Handling· LearningKitting shows numerous benefits in all of five tracks if applied properly. Drawbacks of kittingare mostly caused by wrongly prepared kits, kitting too much or unnecessary parts. It isimportant to include all five of these aspects in business cases before the implementation ofkitting, otherwise kitting activities are likely to cause further problems.The main reason for kitting in Swedish industry is the space requirements. Most companiesare aware of other benefits such as quality and learning aspects but are not considering themas their most important reason to initiate kitting activities. Companies are also hesitant toinitiate kitting since it is an expensive solution compared to other solutions.The biggest limitation of kitting seems as increased number of materials handling and theuncertainty about the level of kitting. Past experiences made companies more hesitant aboutkitting implementations.Kitting in a lean production system is possible as long as kits are secured so that they are100% correct in the first place and there is no machine downtime caused by invalid kits.Additionally, waste should be continuously eliminated from kitting operations and workersshould be trained well to get involved with the processes. / Uppsatsnivå: D

<div>With the rapid development of clean energy technologies, various bottlenecks on supplies of related critical materials emerged. Since supply chains of critical materials often involved with multiple layers of markets with different characteristics, to better identify bottlenecks and increase critical material availability, it is vital to have better understanding and projection on these markets.</div><div>Agent-based modeling is a bottom-up approach that can imitate heterogenous objects in a changing environment. Therefore, it is an excellent tool to simulate markets with fierce competition and fast revolution. This work demonstrates the application of agent-based modeling by discussing three different topics related to critical material demand and supply induced by clean energy products.</div><div>The first application focused on LED residential lighting market. LED lighting market grew rapidly and introduced potential demand on several critical materials including indium. The work modeled consumers as heterogenous and irrational agents in network purchasing new bulbs based</div>

In almost all supply chains, materials need to be stored or buffered, implying that manufacturing companies need effective replenishment methods. However, this is challenging, since companies must balance inventory costs and customer service in complex and different situations. Therefore, it is important to choose replenishment methods carefully. One well-known and widespread method is Material Requirements Planning (MRP). But the method has problems, such as regarding volume flexibility. There are other methods, but the literature lacks case studies and detailed descriptions and analysis of them, especially for visually oriented methods. Therefore, it is important to explore different methods for materials supply. The purpose of this study is to analyze the application of visually oriented replenishment methods in manufacturing industry and further to design a tentative decision tool for selecting methods. The research aims to provide some answers to three key questions. The first research question concerns general factors that are important for evaluating how effective replenishment methods are. From the literature review, different factors emerged such as product characteristics (fit in the Kraljic matrix, volume issues, size, etc.); information, trust, and geographical proximity between supplier and customer; and different logistics goals (delivery service elements, tied-up capital, use of resources, inventory accuracy). It is also import to include the basic principles methods are related to. The factors were summarized in an analysis model, which is structured with three main areas (planning environment/conditions, basic principles, and effects). The model is used to analyze four case studies. The  second research  question focuses  on  the  characteristics for  visually orientedreplenishment methods. Examples of characteristics are: easy to understand and operate, offers uncomplicated flows, substantially applicable for noncritical and leverage parts with high yearly requirement and fairly even consumption, provides potential for  reduced  errors  in  stores/flows, potential for  providing high  delivery service and low levels of tied-up capital and resource utilization. The third research question focuses on what a tentative decision tool for selecting replenishment methods might look like, based on the factors that emerged from the other research questions and studies by others. In order to achieve an efficient materials supply, companies need to consider these factors when selecting replenishment methods. The decision tool consists of different steps, considering aspects of the planning environment/conditions in relation to the product and the supplier. The importance of the companies’ goals/motives for materials supply must also be assessed. The output from the decision tool is appropriate replenishment methods. / <p>QC 20130603</p>

In industry today, the need for excellent product development and realization in many different aspects is increasing. This calls for excellent quality, while at the same time time-to-market is increasingly important. A concurrent engineering (CE) approach is directed towards simultaneously developing different aspects of product realization in order to enhance both quality and speed. This thesis deals with the internal materials supply system (MSS) from a CE approach. Logistics aspects are often not dealt with until later stages of development, which leads to limitations in the possible solutions for the MSS. While designing a new production system, including MSS aspects early on in the project implies stating at an early stage what is required by the system. In order to aid the development of such requirements, this thesis aims at suggesting a structure for the requirements on the MSS where the relevant stakeholders of the system are involved. The thesis results are achieved through literature reviews and a case study at a manufacturing company in the automotive industry. Through literature reviews the thesis suggests a four-level hierarchic approach to requirements, considering four levels: stakeholder level, system level, sub system level and component level. This approach is supported by the case study, where stakeholders and requirements are analyzed and content and important aspects for the requirements specification in a current product realization project are considered. Through the case study, the thesis suggests a view of MSS stakeholders and a two-part structure for MSS requirements with a requirements specification matrix and a tree diagram. The requirements specification matrix contains the four suggested levels, where twelve different requirement categories are considered on each level. The stakeholder level considers the stakeholder requirements, which are translated into requirements on the system. These are broken down into requirements on the various flows (sub systems) of the system, which are then broken down into six components (materials feeding, storage, transportation, handling, packaging and planning and control). The stakeholders considered are divided into operational, contextual and internal stakeholders to the system. The thesis results are considered to have the possibility of aiding the inclusion of MSS aspects at an early stage of product realization, and many different aspects are considered through the inclusion of all the relevant stakeholders in the study. The results are expected to be applicable in many different contexts. However, this needs to be examined further and also the robustness of the results need to be established through further studies. / I dagens industriella verklighet är behovet av utmärkt produktutveckling och          -framtagning utifrån olika aspekter av ökande vikt. Detta antyder krav på ökad kvalitet samtidigt som betydelsen av att snabbt nå ut till marknaden ökar. Integrerad produktutveckling innebär att man utför olika delar av produktframtagningen parallellt för att öka både kvalitet och hastighet. Denna uppsats behandlar det interna materialförsörjningssystemet ur ett integrerat produktutvecklingsperspektiv. Logistikaspekter behandlas ofta inte förrän sent i ett utvecklingsprojekt, vilket medför begränsningar i antalet möjliga lösningar för materialförsörjningssystemet. Att under utveckling av ett produktionssystem inkludera materialförsörjningsaspekter i ett tidigt skede antyder att klargöra vilka krav som ställs på materialförsörjningssystemet. För att underlätta formuleringen av dessa krav är målet för denna uppsats att föreslå en struktur för kravställande på materialförsörjningssystemet där de relevanta intressenterna till systemet är inkluderade. Uppsatsens resultat nås genom litteraturgenomgång och en fallstudie på ett tillverkande företag som är underleverantör till fordonsindustrin. Genom litteraturgenomgång föreslår uppsatsen ett hierarkiskt angreppssätt i fyra nivåer till kraven: intressentnivå, systemnivå, subsystemnivå och komponentnivå. Detta angreppssätt stöds av fallstudien, där intressenter och krav analyseras och innehåll i och viktiga aspekter av kravspecificering i ett pågående produktframtagningsprojekt beaktas. Genom fallstudien kan uppsatsen föreslå en vy över materialförsörjningssystemets intressenter och en tvådelad struktur för krav på materialförsörjningssystemet med en kravspecifikationsmatris och ett träddiagram. Kravspecifikationsmatrisen består av de fyra föreslagna nivåerna, där tolv olika kravkategorier beaktas på varje nivå. Intressentnivån betraktar intressenternas krav, vilka översätts till kravställningar på systemet. Dessa bryts ner till krav på de olika flödena (subsystemen) i systemet, vilka sedan bryts ner i sex komponenter (materialtillförsel, lagring, transporter, hantering, paketering och produktionsstyrning). De urskiljda intressenterna delas upp i operationella, kontextuella och interna intressenter till systemet. Uppsatsens resultat ses som ett tänkbart verktyg för att bidra till att inkludera materialförsörjningsaspekter tidigt i produktframtagningsprocessen och många olika aspekter berörs genom inkluderandet av alla relevanta intressenter i studien. Resultatet förväntas vara applicerbart i många olika sammanhang. Detta behöver dock utredas närmare, likaså behöver robustheten i resultatet utredas vidare genom fortsatta studier.

<p>In industry today, the need for excellent product development and realization in many different aspects is increasing. This calls for excellent quality, while at the same time time-to-market is increasingly important. A concurrent engineering (CE) approach is directed towards simultaneously developing different aspects of product realization in order to enhance both quality and speed. This thesis deals with the internal materials supply system (MSS) from a CE approach. Logistics aspects are often not dealt with until later stages of development, which leads to limitations in the possible solutions for the MSS. While designing a new production system, including MSS aspects early on in the project implies stating at an early stage what is required by the system. In order to aid the development of such requirements, this thesis aims at suggesting a structure for the requirements on the MSS where the relevant stakeholders of the system are involved. The thesis results are achieved through literature reviews and a case study at a manufacturing company in the automotive industry.</p><p>Through literature reviews the thesis suggests a four-level hierarchic approach to requirements, considering four levels: stakeholder level, system level, sub system level and component level. This approach is supported by the case study, where stakeholders and requirements are analyzed and content and important aspects for the requirements specification in a current product realization project are considered. Through the case study, the thesis suggests a view of MSS stakeholders and a two-part structure for MSS requirements with a requirements specification matrix and a tree diagram. The requirements specification matrix contains the four suggested levels, where twelve different requirement categories are considered on each level. The stakeholder level considers the stakeholder requirements, which are translated into requirements on the system. These are broken down into requirements on the various flows (sub systems) of the system, which are then broken down into six components (materials feeding, storage, transportation, handling, packaging and planning and control). The stakeholders considered are divided into operational, contextual and internal stakeholders to the system.</p><p>The thesis results are considered to have the possibility of aiding the inclusion of MSS aspects at an early stage of product realization, and many different aspects are considered through the inclusion of all the relevant stakeholders in the study. The results are expected to be applicable in many different contexts. However, this needs to be examined further and also the robustness of the results need to be established through further studies.</p> / <p>I dagens industriella verklighet är behovet av utmärkt produktutveckling och          -framtagning utifrån olika aspekter av ökande vikt. Detta antyder krav på ökad kvalitet samtidigt som betydelsen av att snabbt nå ut till marknaden ökar. Integrerad produktutveckling innebär att man utför olika delar av produktframtagningen parallellt för att öka både kvalitet och hastighet. Denna uppsats behandlar det interna materialförsörjningssystemet ur ett integrerat produktutvecklingsperspektiv. Logistikaspekter behandlas ofta inte förrän sent i ett utvecklingsprojekt, vilket medför begränsningar i antalet möjliga lösningar för materialförsörjningssystemet. Att under utveckling av ett produktionssystem inkludera materialförsörjningsaspekter i ett tidigt skede antyder att klargöra vilka krav som ställs på materialförsörjningssystemet. För att underlätta formuleringen av dessa krav är målet för denna uppsats att föreslå en struktur för kravställande på materialförsörjningssystemet där de relevanta intressenterna till systemet är inkluderade.</p><p>Uppsatsens resultat nås genom litteraturgenomgång och en fallstudie på ett tillverkande företag som är underleverantör till fordonsindustrin. Genom litteraturgenomgång föreslår uppsatsen ett hierarkiskt angreppssätt i fyra nivåer till kraven: intressentnivå, systemnivå, subsystemnivå och komponentnivå. Detta angreppssätt stöds av fallstudien, där intressenter och krav analyseras och innehåll i och viktiga aspekter av kravspecificering i ett pågående produktframtagningsprojekt beaktas. Genom fallstudien kan uppsatsen föreslå en vy över materialförsörjningssystemets intressenter och en tvådelad struktur för krav på materialförsörjningssystemet med en kravspecifikationsmatris och ett träddiagram. Kravspecifikationsmatrisen består av de fyra föreslagna nivåerna, där tolv olika kravkategorier beaktas på varje nivå. Intressentnivån betraktar intressenternas krav, vilka översätts till kravställningar på systemet. Dessa bryts ner till krav på de olika flödena (subsystemen) i systemet, vilka sedan bryts ner i sex komponenter (materialtillförsel, lagring, transporter, hantering, paketering och produktionsstyrning). De urskiljda intressenterna delas upp i operationella, kontextuella och interna intressenter till systemet.</p><p>Uppsatsens resultat ses som ett tänkbart verktyg för att bidra till att inkludera materialförsörjningsaspekter tidigt i produktframtagningsprocessen och många olika aspekter berörs genom inkluderandet av alla relevanta intressenter i studien. Resultatet förväntas vara applicerbart i många olika sammanhang. Detta behöver dock utredas närmare, likaså behöver robustheten i resultatet utredas vidare genom fortsatta studier.</p>

Inledning: Hantering av material ställer varierande krav beroende på dess beskaffenhet. För att bemöta interna krav i form av hög leveransservice till en låg kostnad är det betydande att utforma en effektiv försörjning av material. Ny teknik och tillämpning av IT-system kan skapa förutsättningar till att effektivisera materialförsörjningen genom att öka servicegraden och reducera kostnader. Syfte: Syftet med denna studie är att utforma och utvärdera en arbetsmetodik för att effektivisera intern försörjning av material från godsmottagning till produktion. Metod: En teoretisk referensram utgjorde grunden för att identifiera viktiga områden för att skapa en effektiv intern materialförsörjning. Parallellt genomfördes en fallstudie hos ett företag verksamma inom hissbranschen, där insamling av data främst genomförts utifrån olika typer av intervjuer och observationer för att skapa en uppfattning om företagets materialförsörjning. Den data som framkom jämfördes främst med den teoretiska referensramen i analysfasen i den framtagna arbetsmetodiken och utifrån denna drogs slutsatser. Etiska aspekter beaktades genomgående under arbetets gång. Den framtagna arbetsmetodiken: Utifrån viktiga identifierade områden, baserat på den teoretiska referensramen, utformades en arbetsmetodik för effektivisering av intern materialförsörjning, bestående av sex faser: Förutsättningar, Beskrivning av nuläget, Analys av nuläget, Utformning av förbättringsförslag, Genomförande samt Uppföljning. Fyra av dessa faser tillämpades på fallföretaget med syftet att utforma förbättringsförslag med potential att effektivisera verksamhetens interna materialförsörjning. Slutligen utvärderades arbetsmetodikens tillämpade faser för att lyfta fram dess styrkor, utmaningar och utvecklingsmöjligheter samt den vidare tillämpningen. Slutsatser: Betydande områden samt andra stödjande digitala lösningar ansågs inte vara tillräckliga för att generera en effektiv intern materialförsörjning utan det behövdes ett ordnat arbetssätt för att tillgodogöra dessa områden. För att understödja detta krävdes komplement i form av en arbetsmetodik med ett antal strukturerade faser, med viktiga hänsynstaganden, som metodiskt måste följas för att utforma förbättringsförslag som kan skapa en effektivare intern materialförsörjning. Förbättringsförslagen som utformades omfattade bland annat ett nytt förfarande för materialavrop, nya principer för buffertar, reducering av interntransporter samt automatiskt förslag på lagringsplats. / Introduction: Handling of materials sets different requirements depending on its characteristics. In order to meet internal demands of high delivery service at a low cost, it is important to design an effective supply of materials. New technology and the application of IT-systems can provide opportunities to streamline materials supply by increasing service levels and reducing costs. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to design and evaluate a working methodology in order to achieve effective internal supply of materials from goods receipt to production. Methods: A theoretical framework formed the basis to identify significant areas to achieve effective internal materials supply. In parallel, a case study was conducted at a company operating in the elevator industry. Data collection was primarily based on different types of interviews and observations to create an understanding of the company´s materials supply. The data obtained were mainly compared with the theoretical framework in the analysis phase of the developed working methodology. Conclusions was drawn, based on the analysis phase. Ethical aspects were taken into account throughout the work of this study. The developed working methodology: Based on significant identified areas, from the theoretical framework, a working methodology was developed to achieve effective internal materials supply, consisting of six phases: Prerequisites, Description of the current situation, Analysis of the current situation, Design of improvement proposals, Implementation and Follow-up. Four of these phases were applied on a company with the aim of designing improvements proposals with the potential to achieve effective internal materials supply. Finally, the applied phases of the working methodology were evaluated to highlight its strengths, challenges and possibilities of development as well as the further application. Conclusion: The significant areas and other supportive digital solutions were not considered sufficient enough to generate effective internal materials supply and thereby there was a necessity for an organized approach to utilize these areas. In order to support this, complements were required in form of a working methodology with a number of structured phases, including important considerations, which must be followed methodically in order to design improvement proposals which can achieve a more effective internal materials supply. The improvement proposals that were designed included, for instance, a new procedure for materials call-off, new principles for buffers, reduction of internal transports and automatic suggestion of place of storage.

Intern materialförsörjning ställer höga krav på leveransservice, exempelvis i form av leverans av rätt material i rätt kvantitet och kvalitet. En del av den interna materialförsörjningen på Saab Surveillance, ett företag som tillverkar högspecialiserade och avancerade produkter, består av materialbrister. Det finns höga krav på effektiv hantering av materialbrister med avseende på tid såväl som flexibilitet, som i nuläget inte uppfyller produktionens behov.  För att undersöka möjligheten att öka effektiviteten i logistikflöden med hjälp av kvalitetskoncept, genomfördes en fallstudie på Saab Surveillance. Studiens syfte var att utveckla en förbättrad hantering av materialbrister hos Saab Surveillance som bidrar till en effektivare intern materialförsörjning från lager till produktion genom tillämpning av kvalitetskoncept. För att uppnå studiens syfte besvarades tre frågeställningar. Den första frågeställningen, ”Hur är den interna materialförsörjningen av materialbrister utformad i nuläget?”, besvarades genom kvalitativa data från intervjuer och observationer. Därutöver bidrog kvantitativa data med ytterligare information, exempelvis ledtider och orsaker till materialbrister. Därefter analyserades den nuvarande interna materialförsörjningen av materialbrister utifrån olika teman och statistisk processtyrning för att besvara andra frågeställningen, ”Vilka möjligheter finns för effektivisering av den interna materialförsörjningen av materialbrister?”. Den tredje frågeställningen, ”Hur bör den interna materialförsörjningen av materialbrister hanteras för att öka effektiviteten?”, besvarades utifrån resultatet från den första och andra frågeställningen, referensramen samt intern benchmarking.  Studiens resultat visade att den nuvarande interna materialförsörjningen av materialbrister kan sammanfattas med sju övergripande aktiviteter: registrering i materialbeställningslista, uppdatering i affärssystemet, skicka information, prioritering av plockning, plockning, leverans och mottagning. Vidare identifierades flera möjligheter för ökad effektivitet i material- och informationsflödet. Till exempel fanns variation i ledtid, slöseri i form av väntetid samt bristande kommunikation. Möjligheterna för ökad effektivitet utgjorde grunden för förbättringsförslagen.  Samtliga sju förbättringsförslag utgick från produktionens behov och förväntningar. Förbättringsförslagen bestod till exempel av att införa en produktionsbuffert för att reducera antalet materialbrister som hanteras i lagret. Genom att skapa förståelse för produktionens förväntningar och lagrets förutsättningar kan det interna kundfokuset öka samt bidra till att en förväntad ledtid för leverans av materialbrister bestäms. Vidare kan införandet av ett materialbristverktyg för beställning av materialbrister standardisera kommunikationen mellan produktionen och lagret. Dessutom var ett förbättringsförslag att tillämpa sekventiell zonplockning av materialbrister för att undvika väntetid som uppstår vid konsolidering. Effektivare leveranser av materialbrister kan också uppnås genom att ha fasta tider för mjölkrundor samt ta bort leveransalternativet till upphämtningshyllan. Ytterligare förbättringsförslag syftade till att reducera väntetid genom omfördelning av ansvar, där montören tillåts beställa materialbrister och senare hämta det från en bestämd plats för materialbrister, istället för produktionsplaneraren. Avslutningsvis resulterade studien i ett förbättringsförslag om att tillämpa statistisk processtyrning för att kunna följa upp effekterna av de föreslagna förbättringarna.  Slutligen visade studien att tillämpning av kvalitetskoncept som kundfokus och statistisk processtyrning kan bidra till effektivisering av intern materialförsörjning av materialbrister. Vidare kan det också vara intressant att undersöka möjligheten att tillämpa kvalitetskoncept i andra logistikflöden för att uppnå ökad effektivitet. / Internal materials supply sets high demands on delivery service, for example in the form of delivery of the right material in the right quantity and quality. A part of the internal materials supply at Saab Surveillance, a company that manufactures highly specialized and advanced products, consists of material shortages. There are high demands on efficient handling of material shortages regarding time as well as flexibility, which currently does not fulfil the needs of the production.  To examine the possibility to increase the efficiency in logistics flows using quality concepts, a case study was performed at Saab Surveillance. The aim of the study was to develop an improved handling of material shortages at Saab Surveillance which contributes to a more efficient internal materials supply from warehouse to production by applying quality concepts. To achieve the aim of the study, three research questions were answered. The first research question, “How is the internal materials supply of material shortages currently designed?”, was answered through qualitative data from interviews and observations. In addition, quantitative data contributed with further information, for example lead times and causes to material shortages. Thereafter, the current internal materials supply of material shortages was analyzed based on different themes and statistical process control to answer the second research question, “What possibilities are there for making the internal materials supply of material shortages more efficient?”. The third research question, “How should the internal materials supply of material shortages be handled to increase the efficiency?”, was answered based on the result of the previous research questions, the theoretical framework and internal benchmarking.  The results of the study showed that the current internal materials supply of material shortages could be summarized with seven overall activities: registration in list of material orders, updating the enterprise resource planning system, sending information, prioritizing of picking, picking, delivery and receiving. Furthermore, several possibilities for increased efficiency in the material and information flow were identified. For example, there was variation in lead time, waste in terms of waiting time and insufficient communication. The possibilities for increasing efficiency formed the foundation for the suggestions of improvement.  All seven suggestions for improvement originated from the needs and expectations of the production. The suggestions for improvement consisted of, for example, implementing a production buffer stock to reduce the number of material shortages which are handled in the warehouse. By creating an understanding of the expectations of the production and the prerequisites of the warehouse, the internal customer focus could increase as well as contribute to determining an expected lead time for the delivery of material shortages. Furthermore, the introduction of a material shortages tool for ordering material shortages could standardize the communication between the production and the warehouse. Additionally, a suggestion for improvement was to apply sequential zone picking of material shortages to avoid waiting time which occurs at consolidation. More efficient deliveries of material shortages could also be achieved by having set times for milk runs as well as removing the delivery option to the pickup shelf. Further suggestion of improvement aimed at reducing waiting time by redistribution of responsibility where the assembler is allowed to order material shortages and later pick it up from a specific location for material shortages, instead of the production planner. Finally, the study resulted in a suggestion for improvement to apply statistical process control to be able to follow up the effects of the suggested improvements.  Finally, the study showed that application of quality concept, such as customer focus and statistical process control, could contribute to increased efficiency of the internal materials supply of material shortages. Furthermore, it would be interesting to examine the possibility of applying quality concepts in other logistics flows to achieve increased efficiency.

Bakgrund: Under de senaste decennierna har industriell logistik fått en allt viktigare roll för att ge företag konkurrensfördelar på den globala marknaden. För att uppnå ökad effektivitet i logistikfunktionen kan konfigurationen av ett internt materialförsörjningssystem ha en betydande inverkan på minimering av icke värdeadderande aktiviteter. Det finns flera principer för intern materialförsörjning, hur dessa appliceras har en signifikant påverkan i en industriell miljö. Valet mellan olika system kännetecknas av en överhängande komplexitet där tillverkningsindustrier byter fram och tillbaka flera gånger. Syfte: Syftet med studien är att föreslå ett ramverk för utveckling av interna materialförsörjningssystem gällande svetsprocess inom metallbearbetning. Genomförande: Studien är genomförd som en enfallsstudie på Hörle Automatic. Där studiens tillvägagångsätt har varit att identifiera icke värdeadderade aktiviteter i fallföretagets interna materialförsörjningssystem till svetsprocessen. För att därefter utveckla deras nuvarande system för att minimera identifierade aktiviteter. Utifrån detta har ett ramverk konstruerats som belyser faktor som ska tas i beaktning vid utveckling av ett internt materialförsörjningssystem. Empiriskt material har samlats in genom intervjuer, observationer, fokusgrupper och arkivmaterial. För att möjliggöra identifiering av icke värdeadderande aktiviteter har en processkartläggning upprättats. Fortsättningsvis har det genomförts tester gällande förslag på arbetssätt som utvecklats. Resultat/Diskussion: Ett ramverk har konstruerats som belyser elva olika faktorer som ska tas i beaktning vid utveckling av ett internt materialförsörjningsystem. Det är faktorer relaterade till produktionsvariation, detaljspecifikation, layout, leverantörer och kommunikation. Slutsats: Det har identifierats totalt 18 icke värdeadderande aktiviteter gällande Hörle Automatics interna materialförsörjningssystem till svetsprocessen. Utvecklingen av det interna materialförsörjningssystemet enligt förslag eliminerar en del icke värdeadderande aktiviteterna som identifierats. Resterande aktiviteter minskas genom utvecklingen av en materialförsörjningsprocess som möjliggör en ny layout och att mer kostnadseffektiv personal utför de icke värdeadderande aktiviteterna / Background: Over the past decades, industrial logistics has gained an increasingly important role in giving companies a competitive edge in the global market. To achieve increased efficiency in the logistics function, the configuration of an internal materials supply system may have a significant impact on minimizing non-value added activities. There are several principles for internal materials supply system, how these are applied have a great impact on it’s industrial environment. The choice between different systems is characterized by an complexity where manufacturing industries change back and forth several times. Purpose: The purpose of this study is to propose a framework for the development of internal materials supply systems in the welding process within metalworking. Methodology: This is a case study at Hörle Automatic. The study approach has been to identify non-value adding activities in the case company's internal materials supply system to the welding process. And after that develop their current system to minimize identified activities. Based on this, a framework has been designed to highlight the factors to be taken into account when developing an internal materials supply system. Empirical material has been collected through interviews, observations, focus groups and archival material. To enable identification of nonvalue-adding activities, a process mapping has been established. Furthermore, tests have been carried out regarding internal materials supply processes to strengthen the author's proposal. Result/Discussion: The result of the study is a framework including eleven factors that companies should take into account when developing an internal materials supply system. The framework involves factors regarding, production variation, item specification, layout, suppliers, and communication. Conclusion: A total of 18 non-value adding activities was identified regarding Hörle Automatic's internal materials supply system in their welding process. The development of the internal materials supply system as proposed eliminates some of the identified nonvalue-adding activities performed by welding operators. The remaining activities are reduced through a new layout and that usage of more cost-effective personnel.

<p>As society works to reduce its reliance on fossil fuels, the demand for renewable energy and clean energy technologies continues to grow rapidly. Lessons learned from the ongoing electronics waste crisis necessitate closing material loops to secure supply chains and redirect valuable resources away from the landfills.</p><p> </p><p>Inspired by the principles of industrial ecology, the circularization of renewables is demonstrated by applying the notion of Life Cycle Symbiosis (LCS), an extension of Industrial Symbiosis (IS). This is achieved by identifying waste streams that may have value as potential raw material/feedstock and the subsequent development of industrial synergies in the context of end of life (EoL) photovoltaics (PVs). Per metric ton of EoL PVs, the avoided global warming potential (GWP) and ecotoxicity impacts were calculated to be as high as 2750 kg CO₂ eq and 32,000 CTUe respectively, while the water savings and electricity savings were over 37,000 m³ and 3600 MJ. Building upon this work, a hybrid multi objective optimization (MOO) method was proposed to support the creation of industrial synergistic networks or eco industrial parks (EIPs). The hybrid method addresses the challenges associated with the early design and development stages of EIPs (supply, demand, potential synergies, etc.), and also those in relation to considering multiple conflicting sustainability objectives.</p><p> </p><p>Apart from addressing material scarcity, rising pollution levels and exposure to toxins, recovery and circularization may also contribute towards stabilizing feedstock prices. Supply chains for renewables and clean energy technologies are brittle because of risks associated with possible supply deficits stemming from complex geo-political situations and oligopolies. This can translate to price fluctuations among high-value, critical materials on which clean energy technologies rely. In order to ensure a smooth transition to a clean energy technologies, and one that is also sustainable, it is vital to assess the impact of these very complexities on the market dynamics for the critical material feedstocks. To this end, a system dynamics model has been developed to capture price trends of rare earth elements (REEs) used in EVs under varying market scenarios. The proposed model aims to aid automobile manufacturers in developing effective business strategies as they work towards electrifying their vehicle fleets.</p><p>This thesis reports on the development of some strategies rooted in industrial ecology to prevent renewables and clean energy technologies from themselves becoming environmental liabilities in the future.</p>