This is a master thesis in Industrial design engineering at Luleå University of Technology. The project was carried out between August 2017 and January 2018. The thesis is done at Lindbäcks Bygg AB in Piteå. Lindbäcks is a manufacturer of wooden apartment buildings. The buildings are built with modules that are made in factories. In connection to the main factory in Öjebyn,there is an external production line that creates special products. This external production line is referred to the Sub-Factory in this thesis. The objective of the project is to design the Sub-Factory to meet the future needs. By investigating and analyzing the current state as well as the requirements of needs, concepts of change will be developed and presented. The project aim is to present a decision basis onhow to utilize the Sub-Factory in the future and suggestions on implementation of changes to reach the future state. A theoretical framework was established to create a scientific foundation for theproject. To create an understanding of the current state observations, interviews, and document reviewing were the main methods. The main problems were noted. The problems were analyzed to map out their underlying causes. With these problems and causes in mind, objectives of the solution were established. Conceptual solutions were then generated using creative methods such as brainstorming, layout ideation, benchmarking, and workshop. The gathering of data showed that the main problems of the Sub-Factory were that the capacity was limited, and the factory was inflexible. The underlying causes ofthese problems were: wrong or non-arriving material, faulty drawings, waiting,blocked transport aisles, and that the Sub-Factory is less prioritized than otherparts of Lindbäcks. The final results aim to fulfill the objectives of the solutions. The final solution consists of five concepts; layout, routines, machines and equipment, test runs, and production planning. The layout solution aims to solve several of the objectives by inducing shorter and more efficient flows. The other concepts aim to complement the layout so that all objectives can be fulfilled. To implement these solutions an implementation strategy has been established. The implementation strategy suggests an order of implementation and why to implement in this particular order.

Ovako är ett globalt stålföretag som har försäljning i Europa, USA och Asien. Deras omsättning under förra verksamhetsåret var 781 milj. Euro. Inom stålindustrin så har det under de sista åren överproducerats stål vilket bidragit till hög konkurrens på stålmarknaden. Utifrån detta så har ett optimeringsprojekt upprättats för att bibehålla konkurrenskraft mot omvärlden. [1,4] Denna studie syftar till att effektivisera en finslipslinje där två centerless-slipmaskiner används för att reducera omställningstiden med 13,5min vid stora omställningar. Det ska även upprättas en standard för hur arbetet vid omställningarna bör utföras för denna effektivisering. Studien utförs på Ovakos produktionsanläggning i Hällefors. Problemet som råder på arbetsplatsen är att osäkerhet hos personal vid omställningar bidrar till varierade omställningstider. Denna osäkerhet har även bidragit till att upplärningstiden för omställningar är ca 1år. För att lösa problemet så analyseras verksamheten med bland annat: Inspelningar utifrån SMED, träddiagram, lean, styrdiagram och utjämning. Detta för att få en helhetsbild av verksamheten. Resultatet av denna efterforskning blev tidsstudier, träddiagram över olika arbetsmoment, design av verktygstavla, omkonstruktion av stödhjul, omkonstruktion av gapinställningar, hur det går att följa upp med resultatet styrdiagram och en utjämningssimulering. Den slutgiltiga effektiviseringen motsvarar 16,5min om det investeras 8680 SEK. Studien benämner även extrainvesteringar för ännu högre effektivitet. Inom studien så förekommer vissa antagna värden då fakta för vissa delar inte kunnat inhämtats. Dessa antaganden är inte något som lyfts in i den slutgiltiga effektiviseringen vilket därför gör att studien kan anses trovärdig. / Ovako is a global steel producer that delivers products in Europe, USA and Asia. Their turnover during the last year was 781 million Euro. The steel industry has under the recent years overproduced steel which has contributed high competition in the steel market. Based on this, an optimization project has been established to maintain the global competitiveness, [1,4]. This study aims at streamlining a fine grinding line, where two centerless grinding machines are used, to reduce the changeover time by 13,5min in case of major changes. The project will also create new standards for how the work of conversion should be carried out for this efficiency. The study is carried out at Ovako´s production facility in Hällefors, Sweden. The problem in the workplace is that the uncertainty of staff in the event of changeover contributes to varied changeover times. This uncertainty has also contributed to the fact that the learning time for changeover in approximately 1 year. The project starts with an analysis in which mobile recording is used to get an overview of the problem. Methods like SMED, Lean, Tree diagram, SPS and production planning are then used. This investigation resulted in time studies, new tree diagram, design of a toolbar, reconstruction of supporting wheel, reconstruction of gap settings, result charts/control charts and a leveling simulation. This resulted finally in a new standard and suggestions for machine optimization. The final efficiency improvement corresponds to 16.5min, if 8680 SEK is invested. The study also mentions extra investments for even greater efficiency. Within the study there are some assumed values as the facts for certain parts cannot be obtained. These assumptions are not something that has been incorporated into the final streamlining, which means that the study can be considered credible.

This report is a Bachelor thesis and has been done within the area of mechanical engineering at Linköping university. The thesis has been performed as a project upon request from the company Bosch Thermoteknik AB in Tranås, Sweden. The company produces heat pumps, and in the process, brazing is used as a method to build the pipe modules the pumps contain. The brazing is currently made in terms of craftmanship in the production at the company. The purpose of this project was to investigate the possibilities to automate a brazing process and present a possible solution the company can use. The solution should mainly be based on the use of an industrial robot together with an equipment for induction heating.An iterative concept-generating process for production development was used as method to perform the project. Based on the method, a result consisting of two main areas were acquired. The first area was a study of the prerequisites for the project – the process demands and a review of the technique the resources used. The other area was the concept solution for how a brazing process can be automated.The concept itself was built by two areas. One physical part in the shape of a fixture to carry the pipe-modules during the process as well as tools and aids for the robot function. The other area was the program that forms the robot’s function. The program was based on solutions to enable identification of the modules, positioning of the robot arm with tool and a verification part to ensure the brazing has been done. The robot program was founded on a written program script to control the robot.

The purpose of the master thesis has been to examine the production system at the company Lundqvist Trävaru AB and use the gathered information to create a layout suggestion together with a couple of improvement ideas. The thesis is the final part of the Industrial Design Engineering programme at Luleå University of Technology (LTU). Lundqvist Trävaru AB is a manufacturing company that specializes in producing prefabricated building kits out of wood, but the insufficient size of their current factory located in the industrial area of Öjebyn on the outskirts of Piteå, have created a need to relocate to alarger site. This new site is located at Haraholmen south of Piteå. The aim and objective have therefore been to develop a layout suggestion as well as a couple of improvement ideas, with the purpose of solving the identified problems at the current factory, thereby making sure that they do not reappear at the new site. Methods in the form of interviews, observations and documentation reviews were performed to identify potential problems with the production system and the work organization. To aid the investigation of the current factory, literature reviews of scientific books and articles were also performed during the project, with the purpose of giving the thesis a solid scientific foundation. After an overview of the production system had been created, the next step was to analyze the identified problems. These affected many different aspects of the company, for instance the material handling, work organization, flow ofinformation, production flexibility, inventory capacity and production flow. The main problem that in turn caused many of the identified problems was the insufficient inventory capacity, which led to problems with overflowing inventories and long delivery times for materials. This in turn affected thematerial handling negatively and made it hard to keep track of materials in the factory.  Additional problems that were identified was divided workstations, scattered areas for material storage, an increasing amount of special orders with dimension outside of the ordinary size range, a lack of standardized working methods and lack of communication between the office and the production team. After the problems had been identified, the next part of the project was dedicated to performing creative methods with the purpose of developing layout concepts as well as improvement ideas. The methods that were used to fulfill this task was brainstorming, mind map, requirement specification, proximity chart and workshop. After these methods had been performed the result was four layout concepts and several improvement ideas.  The next step was to evaluate the layouts and the ideas with the help of the requirements that had been specified together with the management at Lundqvist. The evaluations resulted in a final layout together with the most promising improvement ideas. These ideas were to standardized drawings and working methods, increase the work with creating manuals for the different stations and machines, adapt the workstations for special orders, purchase tablet computers for each workstation thereby allowing better information sharing and contact between the production team and the office, create a digital map of the factory, use markings and colors at inventories to facilitate identification of specific materials, better routines for the disposal of production waste and larger passages for trucks and wheel loaders. The result of the last part of the project was a 3D-model of the factory and the site, which showed the placement of the different machines, workstations and inventories used during the production of the prefabricated building kits. The benefits of the suggested layout and improvement ideas are bettermaterial handling, increased inventory capacity, better information sharing, standardized working methods and drawings, a straighter production flow and an increased production flexibility, which gives a better ability to produce special orders. If it turns out that it is hard to implement the layout at thepresent, the recommendation for Lundqvist Trävaru AB is to start with implementing the improvement ideas and then successively implement the layout. The suggested ideas and layout will make the company more prepared for the future and increase their ability to handle the planned productionincrease, while also making sure that they are able to better keep production deadlines, attract more customers and successfully establish themselves at Haraholmen. Which in turn will lead to reduced unemployment and increased tax revenue for Piteå municipality / Syftet med examensarbete har varit att undersöka produktionssystemet hos företaget Lundqvist Trävaru AB, samt använda den insamlade informationen för att skapa ett layoutförslag tillsammans med ett par förbättringsidéer. Detta examensarbete är sista delen av programmet Teknisk Design vid Luleå Tekniska Universitet (LTU). Lundqvist Trävaru AB är ett tillverkningsföretag som är specialiserade på att producera prefabricerade byggsatser gjorda av trä, men otillräckligt utrymme vid deras nuvarandefabriken belagd i industriområdet Öjebyn i utkanten av Piteå, har skapat ett behov av att flytta till en större anläggning. Denna nya anläggning är placerad i Haraholmen söder om Piteå. Syftet och målet har därför varit att utveckla ett layoutförslag, såväl som ett antal förbättringsförslag, med syftet att lösa de identifierade problemen vid den nuvarande fabriken och därmed se till att de inte dyker upp igen vid den nya anläggningen. Metoder i form av intervjuer, observationer och dokumentgranskningar utfördes för att identifiera potentiella problem med produktionssystemet och arbetsorganisationen. För att underlätta undersökningen av den nuvarande fabriken utfördes också litteraturgranskningar av vetenskapliga böcker och artiklar under projektets gång, i syfte att ge examensarbetet en stabil vetenskaplig grund. Efter att en översikt av produktionssystemet hade skapats var nästa steg att analysera de identifierade problemen, vilket påverkade många olika aspekter av företaget, bland annat materialhanteringen, arbetsorganisationen, informationsflödet, produktionsflexibiliteten, lagerkapaciteten och produktionsflödet. Huvudproblemet som i sin tur orsakade många av de identifierade problemen, var den otillräckliga lagerkapaciteten, som lede till problem med överfyllda lager och långa leveranstider för material. Detta påverkade i sin tur materialhanteringen negativt och gjorde det svårt att hålla reda på material i fabriken. Ytterligare problem som identifierades var uppdelade arbetsstationer, utspridda områden för materiallagring, en ökande mängd specialbeställningar med dimensioner utanför det vanliga storleksområdet, brist på standardiserade arbetsmetoder samt brist på kommunikation mellan kontoret och produktionsteamet. Efter att problemen hade identifierats ägnades nästa del av projektet åt att utföra kreativa metoder i syfte att utveckla layoutkoncept och förbättringsidéer. Metoderna som användes föratt utföra denna uppgift var brainstorming, mind map, kravspecifikation, närhetsanalys och workshop. Efter att dessa metoder hade utförts blev resultatet fyra layoutkoncept och flera förbättringsidéer. Nästa steg var att utvärdera layouterna och idéerna med hjälp av de krav som hade specificerats tillsammans med ledningen hos Lundqvist. Utvärderingen resulterade i en slutlig layout tillsammans med de mest lovande förbättringsidéerna. Dessa idéer var att standardisera ritningar och arbetsmetoder, öka arbetet med att skapa manualer för de olika stationerna och maskinerna, anpassa arbetsstationerna för specialbeställningar, köpa surfplattor för varje arbetsstation och därmed möjliggör bättre informationsdelning och kontakt mellan produktionsteamet och kontoret, skapa en digital karta över fabriken, använda markeringar och färger vid lager för att underlätta identifiering av specifikt material, bättre rutiner för hantering av produktionsavfall och större passager för truckar och traktorer. Resultatet av projektets sista del var en 3D-modell av fabriken och tomten, som visade placeringen av de olika maskinerna, arbetsstationerna och lagren som används under produktionen av de prefabricerade byggsatserna. Fördelarna med den förslagna layouten och förbättringsidéerna är bättre materialhantering, ökad lagerkapacitet, bättre informationsdelning, standardiserade arbetsmetoder och ritningar, ett rakare produktionsflöde samt ökad produktionsflexibilitet, vilket ger en bättre förmåga att producera specialbeställningar. Om det visar sig vara svårt att implementera layouten i nuläget är rekommendationen för Lundqvist Trävaru AB att börja med att implementera förbättringsidéerna och sedan succesivt implementera layouten. De förslagna idéerna samt layouten kommer att göra företaget mer förberett för framtiden och öka deras förmåga att hantera den planerade produktionsökningen, samtidigt som de ser till att de kan hålla produktionsdeadlines bättre, locka fler kunder och framgångsrikt etablera sig på Haraholmen. Vilket i sin tur kommer att leda till minskad arbetslöshet och ökade skatteintäkter för Piteå kommun.

The market has been evolving lately, with the introduction of more and more digital tools that industries are making use to improve their overall operations within the Production process. The integration of digital tools within the Product realization process has major advantages in improving production performance. Many large industries make use of digital tools to digitize their products making them smart products. Implementing these digital tools can be beneficial for reshaping the organization which can lead to better customer satisfaction and improve business strategy. This project explores different digital tools that can be integrated with the product realization process and how these tools contribute to the different production development phases. This thesis presents a detailed study of the digital tools Simulation, Visualization, Emulation, and Digital twins which can be integrated with the product development process. A pre-study is conducted to gather knowledge regarding the application of these tools and further discover how these tools can support the Product realization process and is used to describe which tool works best at which stage of the product realization process, which can be used to improve the efficiency and accuracy of the production process. Implementing these digital tools within the production facility can be associated to smart factory paradigm of the Fourth industrial revolution Industry4.0.This research aims to contribute to the use of digital tools in the production processes and aids in bridging the gap between traditional and modern manufacturing methods. The outcome of this study is to clarify how the above-mentioned digital tools are linked to the product realization process to support an efficient and digitalized production development, also mentioning the strengths and weaknesses of these tools. The resulting analysis has provided a framework developed to support an efficient digitalized production development and preparation process for assembly tasks utilizing human and robot collaboration. This research paper can be used as a guide for companies that want to explore how implementing digital tools in their product realization process and how it may improve their productivity.

Globalization and the increasing time to market have led to ever-higher requirements on the production systems. More than often the short-term thinking and the chase for profit lead to cheap quick fixes. The manufacturing industry changes slowly while the market is changing rapidly, which requires long-term planning for capacity increase but at the same time the ability to rapidly respond to changes. The most crucial factors determining the ability to efficiently produce and deliver a product to market is the utilized production system and a well stated manufacturing strategy. The choice of a certain production system depends on company conditions and requirements as well as the market demands. The current production systems performance and ability to handle different production volumes and divergence must be considered and evaluated from an economical perspective. During this thesis work the benefits and disadvantages with batch flow and one-piece flow have been examined. Generally one-piece flow had been considered the most efficient regarding performance and economical aspects. Meanwhile, batch flow had some benefits associated to it regarding high level of flexibility to handle several different product variants and better possibilities to govern the material flow compared to one-piece flow. There has also been examined which are the most crucial factors affecting the choice between one-piece flow and batch flow. It emerged during the thesis work that the most crucial factor affecting the choice of production system was the Manufacturing Strategy. It can be considered as the ground for every decision regarding the production system and future investments. It determines where the company currently stands, where they want to be in the future and which steps they need to take to get there. The economical factor is as least as important because all decisions include more or less costly investments. At the same time the chosen production system must be as efficient as possible and generate money for the company. Based on these two main factors other interesting factors have been presented. These factors may not affect the choice as much, but are to be considered as important in this context The most crucial factors found to affect the choice of a production system were; Manufacturing Strategy, Economical factors, Production planning and control, Flexibility and capacity, Production volume, variants and trends. The research work has been conducted over a twenty-week period, during which data collection has been performed via Multiple Case Studies at four companies manufacturing similar components within the light and heavy automotive industry. Additional data collection has been performed through a literature review by examining relevant material for the research questions. This have led to a collected knowledge base regarding benefits and disadvantages with each production system along with underlying reasons for deciding on one of them. Based on the collected material from the Case Studies and the theoretical findings, a Mind map visualizing the crucial factors affecting the choice of a production system is presented. This can be utilized by the companies in order for structured evaluation of their current production system and for planning for future changes within production. / Globaliseringen och den ökande pressen på företag att producera och få ut produkter på marknaden på kortast möjliga tid har lett till att det ställs allt högre krav på produktionssystemen. Allför ofta leder kortsiktigt tänkande och jakten på vinster till att företag väljer enkla och billiga snabblösningar. Tillverkningsindustrin förändras långsamt medans marknaden ändras fort, vilket kräver att företagen kan planera för långsiktiga kapacitetsökningar och ändå ha beredskap för att snabbt kunna anpassa sig till förändringar. Det som till allra största del avgör hur effektivt man kan producera och leverera en produkt till marknaden är vilket produktionssystem ett företag använder samt en välformulerad tillverkningsstrategi. Vilket produktionssystem man väljer är beroende av vilka förutsättningar och krav ett företag har lika mycket som av marknadskraven. Man måste ta hänsyn till det nuvarande produktionssystemets prestanda och möjlighet att hantera ändrade produktionsvolymer och variantflora och utvärdera detta ur en ekonomisk synvinkel. Under detta examensarbete har för- och nackdelar med batchflöde och enstycksflöde undersökts och utvärderats. Generellt sätt har enstycksflöde konstaterats vara mest effektivt rent ekonomiskt och prestandamässigt. Däremot, har batchflöde tilldelats fördelar som hög flexibilitet att hantera olika produktvarianter och bättre möjligheter att styra materialflödet jämfört med enstycksflöde. Det har även undersökts vilka som är de mest avgörande faktorerna som styr valet av enstycksflöde eller batchflöde. Under arbetets gång framkom det att den mest avgörande faktorn som påverkar valet av produktionssystem var företagets Produktionsstrategi. Den kan anses vara grunden för alla beslut rörande produktionssystemet och framtida satsningar. Där visar man var företaget befinner sig idag samt var man vill vara i framtiden och vilka beslut man måste ta för att ta sig dit. Den ekonomiska faktorn är minst lika viktig, då alla beslut i slutändan handlar om mer eller mindre kostsamma investeringar. Samtidigt måste det valda produktionssystemet vara så effektivt som möjligt och generera pengar till företaget. Med utgångspunkt från dessa två huvudfaktorer har andra intressanta faktorer tagits fram, som inte påverkar valet av produktionssystem i lika hög grad, men som ändå kan anses vara viktiga i sammanhanget. Forskningsarbetet har bedrivits under 20 veckors tid, där datainsamling har utförts via fallstudier på fyra företag som tillverkar liknande komponenter inom fordonsindustrin. Vidare datainsamling har gjorts genom en litteraturstudie där relevant material för forskningsfrågorna har undersökts. Detta har lett till en samlad kunskapsbas gällande för- och nackdelar med de respektive produktionssystemen samt bakomliggande orsaker till att välja något av dessa produktionssystem. Utifrån det samlade materialet från fallstudierna samt de teoretiska rönen har sedan en tankekarta tagits fram, som visualiserar de avgörande faktorerna som påverkar valet av ett produktionssystem. Denna tankekarta kan företag använda sig av för att på ett strukturerat sätt utvärdera nuvarande produktionssystemet samt planera för framtida förändringar inom produktionen.

Globalization has continuously brought an increased competition among companies, which entails a need for faster and more frequent deliveries of new products. Traditional project management methods, such as stage-gate and waterfall, are commonly used in production development projects and builds on a sequential approach. These methods have proven to have some disadvantages in flexibility, long lead times and it often creates communication barriers between the actors at each stage. The software industry has already encountered these obstacles and responded by introducing agile project management. Which improves the adaptability and allow changes to be made, due to new requirements from stakeholders or customers, throughout the entire development process. However, it remains unknown how agile models can improve production development. The purpose of this study was therefore to investigate how agile models can be applied to production development and what the effects are.  The authors have performed a case study at eight different companies within the automotive industry. The purpose of it has been to gain a deeper understanding about the case companies current production development processes and review how familiar the organizations are with the concept of agile project management. The extraction of the empirical data was conducted by questionnaires, interviews, and document reviews. An analyzation was done by comparing the empirical findings with the theoretical background out of eleven different categories that relates to project management (e.g., project goals, process, customer integration etc.). The analyzation concluded that the case company exclusively conducts their production development project by using a sequential approach.  The analyzation and the eleven categories where, together with the theoretical background about agile project management, later used to create the result by brainstorming different practices to become more agile. The results are presented out of three different scenarios, depending how agile the companies would like to be. For instance, are two process models suggested, one that is completely agile and one that is a hybrid of an agile and a stage-gate. Furthermore, are the implementation of self-organized teams, holistic approach towards internal and external partners, and reduced demand for documentation some of the practices that are suggested. Additionally, are three considerable aspects for the implementation presented.  The expected outcome and effects of applying these practices are discussed in the final chapter. Some of these outcomes are a company culture that will attract and retain talented personnel, where shared responsibilities and authorities triggers the employees to an increased commitment and sense of ownership towards their projects. Furthermore, are the companies expected to experience a more flexible and responsive approach towards conducting production development projects with a high focus on customer requirements and creating customer value.

The forming of an assembly system is a complex task, which should be considered as never ending. In order to successfully plan and implement an assembly system it is of vital importance that the obstacles and preconditions that have an impact on the system are identified and evaluated. This together with the necessary support activities and the attributes of the product to be assembled constitutes the starting point for the forming of the assembly system. The aim of this thesis is to link the theoretical findings with the issues stated above, and through this explain a best practice approach when forming the assembly system. The theoretical work aims at describing the nature and activities within assembly and manufacturing systems and explains these in three different levels of strategies divided into Manufacturing strategies, Layout, material flow and design strategies and finally Logistic, material handling and quality strategies. Then the obstacles and preconditions found are discussed and evaluated which set the basis for the forming of the assembly system and by linking these with the relevant theory, conceptual design proposals for the assembly system and the Logistic support system are formed. These are then evaluated and finally a proposal for the detailed layout of the assembly system is given. This proposal is then to be used as a guideline for the company Aercrete when forming their assembly system.

<p>The forming of an assembly system is a complex task, which should be considered as never ending. In order to successfully plan and implement an assembly system it is of vital importance that the obstacles and preconditions that have an impact on the system are identified and evaluated. This together with the necessary support activities and the attributes of the product to be assembled constitutes the starting point for the forming of the assembly system.</p><p>The aim of this thesis is to link the theoretical findings with the issues stated above, and through this explain a best practice approach when forming the assembly system. The theoretical work aims at describing the nature and activities within assembly and manufacturing systems and explains these in three different levels of strategies divided into Manufacturing strategies, Layout, material flow and design strategies and finally Logistic, material handling and quality strategies. Then the obstacles and preconditions found are discussed and evaluated which set the basis for the forming of the assembly system and by linking these with the relevant theory, conceptual design proposals for the assembly system and the Logistic support system are formed.</p><p>These are then evaluated and finally a proposal for the detailed layout of the assembly system is given. This proposal is then to be used as a guideline for the company Aercrete when forming their assembly system.</p>