The purpose of this paper is to present a sample of how Swedish manufacturing companies deal with equipment downtime cost, and further how they analyze its reduction. The study was performed by conducting a web-based survey within Swedish firms that have at least 200 employees. The main results obtained from the investigation show that the estimated downtime cost constitute about 23.9 % from the total manufacturing cost ratio, and 13.3 % from planned production time. Additionally, the hourly cost of downtime, whether planned or unplanned, is relatively high. However, there is a shortage of systematic models that capable to trace the individual cost imposed by downtime events. This lack was shown apparently whilst 83 % of surveyed companies they do not have any complete model adapted for quantifying their downtime costs. Moreover, only few companies develop their cost accounting methods such as, activity-based costing (ABC) and resource consumption accounting (RCA) to assimilate and reveal the real costs that associated with planned and unplanned stoppages. Still, the general pattern of downtime cost calculation allocated to direct labor and lost capacity cost. On the other hand, the attempts of decreasing downtime events and thus costs were based on schedule maintenance tactics that supported by overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) tool, as an indicator for affirming improvements. Nonetheless, the analysis indicates the need for optimized maintenance tactics by incorporating reliability-centered maintenance (RCM) and total productive maintenance (TPM) into companies’ maintenance systems. The maintenance role of reducing downtime impacts not highly recognized. Furthermore, the same analysis shows the requirement for better results of performance measurement systems is by implementing total equipment effectiveness performance tool (TEEP). The advantage of such tool is to provide the impact index of planned stoppages in equipment utilization factor. Finally, the lack of fully integrated models for assessing the downtime costs and frameworks for distinguishing the difference between planned and unplanned stoppages are the main reasons behind the continuation of cost in ascending form. Due to that, the improvements will emphasize on areas with less cost saving opportunities. As a result, this will affect the production efficiency and effectiveness which in return has its influence on costs and thereby profits margin.

Moelven är en av Skandinaviens största trämekaniska koncerner med 52 operativa enheter i Norge, Sverige och Danmark. Denna studie har utförts i hyvlerianläggningen hos Moelven Valåsen Wood AB som är ett hyvleri och vidareförädling av byggvirke beläget i Karlskoga. Problemet grundar sig i att Moelven vill öka utnyttjandegraden i hyvlerianläggningen. Denna ligger idag på ca 65% och hyvleriet begränsar därför en stor del av materialflödet. Syftet med denna fallstudie var att undersöka vilka orsaker som ligger bakom den låga utnyttjandegraden för att ge förslag på åtgärder till dessa. Studien inleddes med ett brett perspektiv för att kunna undersöka de verkliga orsakerna till problemet. En analys gjordes av de olika stopporsakerna för att klargöra vilka olika stopp som uppstår samt hur stor del av den totala stopptiden de utgör. Vidare gjordes avgränsningar som innebar en fördjupning inom omställningsprocessen då omställningar av hyveln utgjorde 30% av den totala stopptiden under tidsperioden. För att kunna analysera denna process gjordes videoinspelningar där de olika arbetsmomenten definierades och tidsattes. Då fräsbyten var de omställningar som observerades flest antal gånger utformades konkreta förbättringsförslag främst för dessa. Moelven får även underlag för att kunna gå vidare med de övriga omställningarna. Fallstudien resulterade i olika förbättringsförslag som främst syftade till att effektivisera omställningarna. Dessa förslag innebar: • Separera externa och interna aktiviteter, såsom att förbereda verktyg inför omställningen. • Använda verktygsvagnar för att eliminera rörelser i så stor utsträckning som möjligt. • Skapa bättre ordning på verktyg genom att utforma en check table. • Standardisering av arbetsmoment genom att skapa en rutinbeskrivning samt dela upp  operatörerna i olika arbetsroller. • Involvera alla i organisationen för att kunna arbeta med ständiga förbättringar. En simulering gjordes genom att implementera delar av förbättringsförslaget vilken medförde en ställtidsreducering om 32.5% för fräsbyte. Då en stor gemensam faktor för alla typer av omställningar är rörelser, vilket förbättringsförslaget syftar till att reducera kan det antas vara generaliserbart för övriga omställningar. / Moelven is an industrial group that produces building materials and systems for the construction industry; with its 52 productions units in Norway, Sweden and Denmark, it is one of the biggest in Scandinavia. This study has been carried out in the planing mill at Moelven Valåsen Wood AB in Karlskoga. Because of the low utilization rate in the planing mill (65%), it constitutes a bottleneck, meaning it limits the capacity and flow of material, for most of the products. The purpose of the study was to analyze the stoppage in the planing mill in order to make recommendations on how the utilization rate can be increased. The study began with a wide perspective to identify the reasons behind this problem. A summary of all stops in the planing mill concluded that set ups of the planer made up for 30% of total stoppage. Because of this, the study was narrowed down to mainly analyze the different types of set ups, which was done through extensive observations and videotaping. The solutions and recommendations that were given are therefore almost entirely regarding set up-time reduction, and more specifically, milling set ups. The recommendations, based on the results of the study, includes: • Suggestions on how to separate internal and external set up. • Better order of tools through designing a check table. • Standardizing the procedure by creating a routine and dividing the operators into different work roles. • Involving everyone in the organization in order to work with continuous improvement. A simulation of milling set ups was done by implementing parts of the recommendations – this resulted in a setup up-time reduction of 13 minutes, which corresponds to 32.5%. Because of common denominators, such as movements, the recommendations given are likely generalizable for all set ups.

Cerca de 1 bilhão de consumidores ao redor do mundo são abastecidos intermitentemente pelos sistemas de abastecimento de água apesar de sua operação ser prejudicial à saúde pública, gerar inequidade na distribuição de água, reduzir a vida útil da infraestrutura, aumentar os custos repassados aos usuários e reduzir a eficiência do sistema. As desvantagens descritas anteriormente são bem conhecidas, entretanto, diversas companhias de água ainda utilizam essa operação. Em se tratando da literatura relacionada, identifica-se a ausência de uma definição padrão para sistemas intermitentes de abastecimento de água sendo, portanto, o objetivo deste trabalho levantar o problema sobre a indefinição de como a literatura e as agências reguladoras brasileiras lidam com a falta da definição padrão. A metodologia utilizada foi a revisão sistemática da literatura sobre as definições de intermitência, como também o processo de análise de conteúdo das definições documentadas pelas agências reguladoras. Identificou-se neste trabalho que a ausência de uma definição padrão resulta em uma ampla variedade de termos e definições ineficientes e geralmente divergentes para a caracterização do problema. Os resultados obtidos foram uma definição abrangente da intermitência, complementada pela classificação do problema relacionada às causas, frequência, duração, e abrangência da descontinuidade. / There are over 1 billion consumers around the world supplied by intermittent water service, whose operation is hazardous to the public health, can generate inequity in water supply, can reduce infrastructure lifespan, increases the consumers\' costs and reduces efficiency of the system. The drawbacks are well-known and despite considerable negative impacts shown before such approach is carrying by several water companies. There is still a considerable gap in the literature that needs to be filled in order to identify a standard definition of intermittent water supply. This paper is focusing on the identification of how the literature and the Brazilian regulatory agencies are dealing with the lack of a standard definition. A procedure used was a systematic review of intermittency related definitions in the literature and a manual searching process on Brazilian regulatory agencies policies. Our analysis indicates that a missing standard definition of intermittency in water supply results in a wide variety of terms and definitions that are inefficient in the characterization of the problem and are often divergent. Ours results were an embracing definition of intermittent, complemented by a classification related to causes, frequency, duration, and coverage of discontinuity.

Title: The issue of unplanned stoppages caused by failure in medical technology equipment – A study within the hospital of Kalmar with a focus on manage-ment, security and quality Author: Anna Förster, Ambika Linder, Sandra Nyqvist Tutor: Thomas Karlsson Institution: Linnaeus School of Business and Economics - Linnaeus University Kalmar Date: 2011-01-14 Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine unplanned stoppages caused by medical technology equipment failure in the healthcare operation within the hospital of Kalmar. Our study is based on a number of specifically selected incidents which show the consequences these disruptions cause in management, security and quality within the operation. Our intention was also to examine what role the medical technology department of the hospital plays in the care production operation during these unplanned stoppages. Method: Through a qualitative study we have generated material from a number of interviews with staff working in the hospital of Kalmar. These interviews have given us a deeper perspective of a number of cases that we have chosen to study more closely and which relate to unavailable medical technology equipment. The interviewed respondents have contributed with their knowledge about the current incidents. From a hermeneutical interpretive perspective we have based on knowledge received about the subject, connected the collected empirics with our theoretical frame of reference. Conclusion: We see that management is affected negatively in situations where medical technology equipment has been unavailable, because of an ineffective use of resources in terms of rooms, equipment and personnel. In the cases studied we consider patient security to be relatively good. Nevertheless, the quality within the hospital of Kalmar is affected negatively during these unplanned stoppages, due to service dissatisfaction among some of the patients. Finally we conclude that care staff show a good level of confidence in the medical technology department as a support function and that their availability is highly appreciated. Keywords: Medical technology equipment, unplanned stoppage, maintenance, management, security, quality

This thesis develops and evaluates a probabilistic model that estimates the stoppage time in football. Stoppage time represents the additional minutes of play given after the original matchtime is over. It is crucial in determining the course of events during the remainder of a match, thereby affecting the odds of live sports betting. The proposed approach uses the negative binomial distribution to model events in football and stoppage time is viewed as a convolution of these distributions. The parameters of the negative binomials are estimated using machine learning methods in Python, with TensorFlow as the underlying framework. The data used for the analysis consists of event data for thousands of football matches with corresponding stoppage time, as well as the duration of pauses that have occurred in these games. The negative binomial distribution is shown to be a good fit and can be adapted to the data using scaling and resolution techniques. The model allows us to see how different events contribute to the stoppage time, and the results indicate that injuries, VAR checks, and red cards have the most significant impact on stoppage time. The model has potential for use in live sports betting and can enhance the accuracy of odds calculation. This work was conducted in collaboration with xAlgo which is a department of Kambi, a business-to-business provider of sports betting services.

Digitaliseringen utgör en allt större del av vår vardag och ett område som digitaliseringen har växt inom är den tillverkande industrin som ständigt strävar efter att förbättras. En filosofi som bland annat bygger på ständiga förbättringar är lean, där syftet med förbättringarna är att minska slöserier. Maskinstopp är en typ av slöseri och är en potentiell förbättringskälla i produktioner runt om i världen. En annan viktig komponent är synlighet och att göra information tillgänglig och synlig vid rätt tid, på rätt plats och till rätt målgrupp genom hela fabriken. Ett sätt att synliggöra nödvändig information på är via tavlor och med Industri 4.0 i åtanke och den digitalisering som sker är digitala tavlor ett aktuellt alternativ. Detta motiveras speciellt i skrivande stund då pandemier som covid-19 tvingar industrier till att snabbt ställa om till ett nytt arbetssätt med distansarbete.  Ovanstående motiverar till syftet med detta arbete som är att undersöka för- och nackdelar med digitala respektive analoga tavlor för att visualisera nyckeltal och rådande status i produktion. Utöver detta ska en digital tavla som kan användas vid förbättringsarbete kring stopporsaker utformas. För att kunna uppfylla arbetets syfte har information hämtats från litteratur och de intervjuer som utförts med de medverkande företagen. Detta för att undersöka hur förbättringsarbetet kring stopporsaker ser ut i praktiken samt undersöka vilka erfarenheter de har kring analoga och digitala tavlor.  Angående digitala och analoga tavlor i allmänhet har det i litteraturen och genom intervjuerna påträffats både för- och nackdelar. Några fördelar är att en digital tavla uppdateras automatiskt och inte är knuten till en fysisk plats. Några nackdelar är att en digital tavla är mer kostsam än en analog och att de anställda kan identifiera sig mindre med informationen och bli kritiskt inställda till den. Det har framkommit att arbetssättet kring stopporsaker skiljer sig bland de intervjuade, men att det finns en röd tråd i deras förbättringsarbete. De intervjuade använder datorprogram som analyserar de stopporsaker som uppstår och får därefter framföra förbättringsförslag om hur dessa kan åtgärdas.  Slutsatsen är att det både finns för- och nackdelar med digitala jämfört med analoga tavlor. Däremot är antalet fördelar som påträffats i detta arbete fler och att det dessutom är fler fördelar än nackdelar som återfinns i både litteratur och praktik. När det kommer till utformandet av den digitala tavlan har en röd tråd i förbättringsarbetet observerats genom intervjuerna. Denna röda tråd har motiverat till att bland annat följande exempel bör synliggöras på en digital tavla: inkomna förbättringsförslag i samband med tänkta åtgärder, ansvarsfördelning bland de anställda och en översikt över aktuella stopporsaker. / Digitalization constitutes a larger part of our everyday lives and one area where digitalization has grown is within the manufacturing industry that is constantly striving to improve. Lean is a philosophy that among other things, is based on continuous improvements and the purpose of the improvements is to reduce waste. Machine stoppage is a type of waste and a potential source of improvement in productions around the world. Another important component is visibility and making information accessible and visible at the right time, in the right place, and to the right target group throughout the factory. One way to make the necessary information visible is through boards. Considering Industry 4.0 and the digitalization that is taking place, digital boards are a current alternative. This is especially motivated currently when pandemics such as covid-19 force industries to quickly transition to a new way of working from different places. The above motivates the purpose of this work, which is to investigate the advantages and disadvantages of digital and analog boards in order to visualize key performance indicators and current status in production. In addition to this, a digital board that can be used in improvement work around stoppage causes will be designed. To fulfil the purpose of the work, information has been obtained from literature and through interviews with the participating companies. This is to investigate what the improvement work on stoppage causes looks like in practice and to investigate what experiences they have regarding analog and digital boards. Regarding digital versus analog boards in general, both advantages and disadvantages have been found in the literature and through interviews. Some advantages are that digital boards are updated automatically and not tied to a physical location. Some disadvantages are that digital boards are more costly than analog boards and that employees can identify less with the information and be critical of it. It has emerged that the process of working with stoppage causes differs among those interviewed, but that there is a connection in their improvement work. The interviewees use computer systems that analyze the stoppage causes that emerge and are then able to present improvement suggestions on how they can be managed. The conclusion is that there are both advantages and disadvantages to digital boards in comparison to analog boards, although the advantages, discovered in both literature and interviews, outweigh the disadvantages. When it comes to designing the digital board, a connection has been discovered throughout the interviews. This connection has justified that the following examples, among others, should be made visible on a digital board: received improvement proposals in conjunction with planned measures, division of responsibilities among employees, and an overview of current stoppage causes.

L’objectif principal de ce mémoire est de mieux comprendre le rôle des différents acteurs que rencontrent des travailleurs en arrêt de travail, en raison d’un accident survenu par le fait ou à l’occasion de leur travail, sur la trajectoire et la santé mentale de ceux-ci. Dans un deuxième temps, il est important de déterminer l’effet que peut avoir le soutien social sur le niveau de détresse psychologique ressenti par ces travailleurs. Pour réaliser cette recherche, des données ont été recueillies provenant d’entretiens réalisés auprès de patients d’une polyclinique à Montréal qui étaient en arrêt de travail. Basée sur un échantillon de 12 travailleurs, l’étude réalisée a révélé que les différents acteurs ont une influence sur la trajectoire de ces travailleurs et que plusieurs facteurs du soutien social ont un impact sur le niveau de bien-être ou de détresse psychologique ressentis. En effet, le fait d’avoir un soutien émotionnel, d’estime, d’affiliation, tangible, instrumental et/ou encore informationnel, d’être intégré socialement, d’avoir l’occasion de se sentir utile et nécessaire, de pouvoir confirmer sa valeur ainsi que d’obtenir de l’aide concrète et matérielle sont des facteurs du soutien social qui agissent comme protecteur contre la détresse psychologique. À l’inverse, le fait d’être en marge du marché du travail et de ne pas avoir accès à ces différentes formes de soutien ou simplement le fait de penser que c’est le cas sont des facteurs qui font augmenter significativement le niveau de détresse psychologique. / The main objective of this master’s thesis is to better understand the role of the different actors encountered by workers in work stoppage, due to an accident which occurred because of work or while working, on their mental health and on their path. Secondly, it is important to determine the effect that social support can have on the level of psychological distress felt by these workers. In order to carry out this research, data were collected from interviews with patients of a polyclinic of Montreal who were in work stoppage. Based on a sample of 12 workers, this study revealed that different actors have an influence on the path of those workers and that multiple social support factors have an impact on the level of well-being or psychological distress of those individuals. Indeed, having emotional, material, instrumental, informational, esteem, affiliation or tangible support, being integrated socially, feeling useful and needed, being able to confirm its value and to obtain practical or material support, are all social support factors which protect against psychological distress. Conversely, being excluded from the labor market, not being able to have access to those different forms of support or even the simple fact of perceiving it as such, are all factors which significantly increase the level of psychological distress.

Bibliography: leaves 268-317 / The challenge of accessing affordable healthcare services in the developing countries prompted the promotion of community-based health insurance (CBHI) as an effective alternative. CBHI has been implemented in many countries of the South over the last three decades for the purpose of improving access and attaining universal health coverage. However, the sudden stoppage of a CBHI programme in rural Nigeria raised a lot of concerns about the suitability of the health financing scheme. Thus, this thesis examines the stoppage of the CBHI programme in rural Kwara, Nigeria. Premised on the health policy triangle as a conceptual framework, mixed methods approach was adopted for data collection. This involved 12 focus group discussions, 22 in-depth interviews, 32 key informant interviews and 1,583 questionaires. The study participants were community members, community leaders, healthcare providers, policymakers, international partner, health maintenance organisation officials and a researcher. Findings revealed that transnational actors relied on various resources (e.g. fund and ‘expertise’) and formed alliances with local actors to drive the introduction of the programme. As such, the design and implementation of the policy were dominated by international actors. Despite the sustainability challenges faced by the programme, the study found that it benefitted some of the enrolled community members. Though, even at the subsidised amount, enrolment premium was still a challenge for many. The main reasons for the stoppage of the programme are a paucity of fund and poor management. The stoppage of the programme, however, signified a point of reversal in the relative achievements recorded by the CBHI scheme because community members have deserted the healthcare facilities due to high costs of care. In view of these, the thesis notes that short-term policies often lead to temporary outcomes and suggests the need to repurpose the role of the state by introducing a long-term comprehensive healthcare policy – based on the reality of the nation – to provide equitable healthcare services for the citizenry irrespective of their capacity to pay. / Sociology / D. Phil. (Sociology)