This diploma´s thesis is focused on design of the logistics concept of selected production section in manufacturing firm with using logistics method Just In Time. In analytical part is analysed current situation of managing material flows for selected production sections, ways of supplying production units and amount of stock which is stored in production areas. In proposal part are suggested some changes in various spheres along with new design of the logistics concept and possible economical contributions in case of applying this logistics concept.

Ultrafast charge and electron transfer, primary events in artificial photosynthesis, are key in solar energy harvesting. This dissertation provides insight into photo-induced charge and electron transfer in the donor and acceptor constructs built using a range of donor and acceptor entities, including transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs, molybdenum disulfide (MoS2), and tungsten disulfide (WS2)), N-doped graphene, diketopyrrolopyrrol (DPP), boron-dipyrromethene (BODIPY), benzothiadiazole (BTD), free base and metal porphyrins, zinc phthalocyanine (ZnPc), phenothiazine (PTZ), triphenylamine (TPA), ferrocene (Fc), fullerene (C60), tetracyanobutadiene (TCBD), and dicyanoquinodimethane (DCNQ). The carefully built geometries and configurations of the donor and (D), acceptor (A), with a spacer in these constructs promote intramolecular charge transfer, and intervalence charge transfer to enhance charge and electron transfer efficiencies. Steady-state UV-visible absorption spectroscopy, fluorescence and phosphorescence spectroscopies, electrochemistry (cyclic voltammetry (CV) and differential pulse voltammetry (DPV)), spectroelectrochemistry (absorption spectroscopy under controlled potential electrolysis), transient absorption spectroscopy, and quantum mechanical calculations (density functional theory, DFT) are used to probe ground and the excited state events as well as excited state charge separation resulting in cation and anion species. The current findings are useful for the increased reliance on renewable energy resources, especially solar energy.

Manufacturing companies throughout the world are interested in reducing the time between a customer placing an order and them receiving the payment for that order. This premise is something that is a central characteristic for the Lean philosophy, and is one of the reasons to apply it. Today manufacturers around the world are embracing Lean techniques in order to reduce waste and increase productivity, and also increase the inventory turns, which reflects in an improvement of cash flow for the company. Nowadays, with all the financial turmoil, every company is looking forward to reduce the inventories, to work with Just in Time supply chains, to develop production systems that reduce the scrap and produce only what is needed, saving space, and freeing up time to work on new design and be at the edge of innovation in order to gain market share and keep improving. This master thesis is focused on implementing the Lean principles in a pillow production line, in order to achieve it, a series of techniques to assess the facility where implemented, which allowed to understand how the facility was working, where is the bottleneck, and to understand the function of it as a system, avoiding to focus on a single point but viewing it as a whole, where each part contributes in a specific and unique way, but where all of them are necessary. Applying Lean principles is a daunting task that takes a long time, a never ending trial and error process, because of this the goal of this study is to develop the bases for a Lean transformation, a schedule for the implementation will be developed and proposed to the company, after analyzing the facility. The study reveals that it is possible to reduce the lead-time of the facility in 60%, and avoid the backorders situation that is present in the company, improving also the service level.

In vehicle industry, it has been trends towards focusing on pull-basedsystems and elimination of waste (Lean), which decrease the tied-up capitallevel in the focal factory. Research by Holweg & Miemczyk (2002)showed that the relevant supply chain has low inventory level in the focalfactory, but at upstream and especially downstream; the tied-up capitallevel is dramatically higher in comparison to the focal factory.By conducting research and extensive literature reviews, this volatilityof tied-up capital level has been studied and analysed with regard topush and pull systems. As the three main causes of this unevenness; bullwhipeffect, CODP position in supply chain and intensity level of supplierrelationship have been identified and explained.As a practical solution for decreasing the tied-up capital level of finishedvehicles, implementation of centralised warehouse structure hasbeen suggested and discussed.Moreover, as an application of game theory in logistics, iterated prisoners’dilemma has been discussed as the base for a progressive relationshipwith suppliers (upgrading to win-win game) which is requisite for the successof pull-based supply chains. / Program: BSc in Industrial Engineering - International Business Engineering

The thesis analyses manufacturing process of wooden handles as a component part of bench chisels. The introductory part summarizes basic theoretical knowledge regarding production process, production preparation, production management and cycle, as well as layout of the workplace. The main part focuses on analysis of wooden handle production with the use of in-dustrial engineering methodology. Analysis of material flow, workplace arrangement, methodics 5S, low-cost automation, pull system, Kanban and utilization of waste were carried out in order to find improvement possibilities in the wooden handles production. Solutions for better production efficiency and increase of production capacity are proposed from the findings of this thesis.

En este trabajo se recogen las experiencias de las PYME’s del sector textil exportador peruano, a través de entrevistas. A partir de los resultados obtenidos se elaboró un diagnóstico actual del sector textil, identificando los desperdicios más importantes que afectan a los procesos, desde el punto de vista de la filosofía Lean. El área de estudio específico es el proceso de acabados de prenda, el cual tiene como principal problema el elevado lead time respecto al estándar del mercado, explicado por los altos inventarios y elevados tiempos de espera dentro del proceso. Para afrontar esta situación como propuesta, se realiza el diseño de un sistema Pull, mediante tarjetas Kanban, y una celda de manufactura flexible. Los resultados esperados son la reducción del tamaño de lote que ingresa al área de acabados y la disminución de los tiempos de espera en el proceso, lo que se traduciría en una disminución del lead time. Finalmente, para validar el estudio, se procedió a recabar información de 5 profesionales y dos usuarios del medio local. Los profesionales consultados son expertos en Lean manufacturing y la industria textil. Asimismo, los usuarios del medio local tienes años de experiencia como gerentes o dueños de empresas del sector textil exportador peruano. El proceso se realiza mediante una matriz de validación y una de evaluación de impactos, la cual está centrada en la evaluación del modelo general y de las propuestas. / In this paper, we present the experiences of Peruvian SMEs in the textile export sector, collected through interviews. Based on the results obtained, a diagnosis of the textile sector was elaborated identifying the most important waste that affects processes, using the Lean philosophy point of view. The specific area studied was the garment finishing process, which has as its main problem a high lead time compared to the market standard, explained by the high inventories and high waiting times within the process. To face this situation, as a proposal, the design of a Pull system using Kanban cards and a flexible manufacturing cell are carried out. The expected results are the reduction of the lot size that enters the finishing area and the reduction of waiting times in the process, which translates into a decrease in lead time. Finally, to validate the study, approval, and feedback from 5 professionals and two users of the local environment where collected. Professionals consulted are experts in Lean manufacturing and the textile industry. Likewise, users of the local environment have years of experience as managers or owners of companies in the Peruvian textile export sector. The process is carried out through a validation matrix and an impact evaluation matrix which are focused on evaluating the general model and the proposals. / Tesis

Anecdotal data affirms that companies applying Lean Six Sigma in their operations not only deliver higher quality products and services, but also obtain superior financial results. The goal of this research was to empirically verify anecdotal data. The study proposed to analyze a group of publicly traded manufacturing companies with the intent of verifying if a correlation exists between companies being lean and the attainment of superior returns on investments. The researcher performed a series of statistical tests comparing key Financial Performance Indicators (FPI) extracted from annual reports (10-K) from a large pool of companies. The outcome of this study showed that superior financial rewards result from a systematic application of lean and quality tools. At the conclusion of this thesis we verified that companies having a business model that stimulates a high level of communication between them and their markets - because they are lean - obtained substantially higher financial advantages when compared to companies that still followed a more traditional mode of production. The results also revealed that lean companies obtained on average Return on Invested Capital (ROIC) 10% higher than mass producers. Therefore, companies wanting to strategically invest their capital should consider Lean Six Sigma as a source of competitive advantage. Another strategic insight derived from this study was the recognition of signs of a smart business. Potential investors should look for the presence of lean and quality improvement programs as one sign that capital is being wisely invested to generate value. Another sign is how well historically ROIC have performed against Weighted Average Cost of Capital (WACC). The research revealed that, on average, lean companies had ROIC of 16%. Assuming that the hurdle rate (WACC) for most companies is near 10%, having ROIC of 16% is an incentive to become lean, thus allowing such companies to create value for their shareholders. Finally, we learned that many factors affect ROIC, namely, brand equity, market positioning, patents, core competency, innovation, leadership, etc. However, the presence of a Lean Six Sigma program in a manufacturing business was a strong positive factor impacting ROIC.

The productivity advances generated from lean manufacturing are self-evident. Plants that adopt lean are more capable of achieving high levels of quality, shorter lead times, and less waste in the system. While it seems logical that higher levels of productivity and quality, as is common in lean companies, should result in positive financial performance, the research community has failed to establish the financial profitability of lean. Those researchers who have studied the financial returns issue report varying results. The goal of this research was to determine if a connection exists between lean and financial success and to discover why so many researchers are finding mixed results. Information Velocity (IV) was theorized to provide the solidifying link between lean and financial performance. Measured by combining the environmental volatility with a company's leanness, IV measures how fast a company can transmit information from the market into a customer-satisfying product in the hands of the consumer. This study analyzed over 530 publicly-traded manufacturing companies to validate the following hypotheses: 1) there is a positive relationship between leanness and financial returns, 2) there is a negative relationship between environmental volatility and financial returns, and 3) there is a positive relationship between IV and financial returns. Regression models were run in various combinations to determine the effect of lean, environmental instability, environmental unpredictability, and IV on financial performance indicators such as return on sales (ROS), return on assets (ROA), and quarter-closing stock price. The outcome of this study showed that financial rewards do result from lean, which positively affected financial performance in almost all scenarios. Environmental instability always negatively correlated with financial returns, and IV mostly shows a positive effect, but with mixed results. Lastly, IV does not explain why researchers find mixed results on the profitability measures of lean. The results of this thesis highlight the significance of implementing lean manufacturing, especially in a dynamic environment. As the instability in the environment increases, profitability decreases. Therefore, an increase in leanness by boosting inventory turns can compensate for the volatility and create enhanced productivity measures and financial results.