Lean production är en väl etablerad produktionsteknik världen över. Inom Lean production finns det flertalet verktyg, ett av dessa är kartläggningsverktyget Value Stream Mapping (VSM). Med VSM kartläggnings information- och materialflöden inom den egna verksamheten, samt så identifieras icke-värdeskapande aktiviteter (slöseri) för att sedan skapa förbättringsförslag. VSM är ett bevisat effektivt verktyg att använda för att skapa effektiva flöden inom många typer av verksamheter såsom: fordonsindustrin, hotellverksamhet, stålindustri, energiindustri. Dock menar författare att VSM inte kan användas inom företag som har en MTO strategi och som karaktäriseras av produkter som tillverkas i låga volymer och höga variationer. I dagens samhälle ökar ständigt efterfrågan på kundanpassade produkter, vilket i sig leder till att fler MTO företag bildas för att kunna möta kundernas krav. Dessa företag har dock samma krav på sig som andra företag, det vill säga att reducera produktionskostnader, korta ner ledtider och öka kvaliteten för att kunna skapa en konkurrenskraft på marknaden. Således skapades problemformuleringen för denna studie: ”Hur kan ett företag som har en Make-To-Order strategi och som karaktäriseras av en produktion med hög grad av variation samt låg volym, använda Value Stream Mapping för att kartlägga värdeflöden och på så vis skapa möjligheter för att effektivisera verksamheten?” För att besvara problemformuleringen genomfördes studien på Bosch Rexroth Mellansel som är ett företag inom ovan nämnda kontext. Företaget erbjuder bland annat kundanpassade lösningar, företaget har en MTO strategi och tillverkningen av de kundanpassade produkterna sker av hög grad av variation samt låg volym. Arbetet utgick sedan från befintliga teorier om Lean production och VSM samt utvecklade verktyg av VSM för att sedan testa och anpassa dessa på den aktuella kontexten. Kartläggningen genomfördes med hjälp av att observera och samtala med arbetare i flödet samt genom att utforma blanketter som fick följa med artikeln där arbetare hade det huvudsakliga ansvaret att fylla i start- och sluttider för processer. I studiens VSM visades material- och informationsflöden samt identifierat slöseri, detta låg sedan som grund för att ge förslag till hur företaget kan effektivisera verksamheten. Studiens huvudsakliga slutsatser innebär att VSM kan anpassas till denna typ av verksamhet genom att: använda flödesfamiljer i kartläggningen i stället för enskilda produkter eller produktgrupper; koppla tidigare försäljning mot respektive flödesfamilj för att därefter skapa en övergripande prioritering och förståelse; kopplitera observationerna med hjälp av att använda blanketter som får ”följa med” produkten, där arbetare få anteckna information om aktuella processtider och väntetider; kommunikation, för att skapa förutsättningar för ett effektivt flöde. Genom tidigare litteratur och observationer skapades slutligen en modell för förslag på framtida arbetsgång för företaget. Slutligen redovisade studien att det är viktigt att anpassa VSM till den aktuella verksamheten samt betydelsen av att involvera arbetare i processen.

Title: Improving the Processes in a WarehouseBackground: For warehouses to perform as efficiently and effectively as possible, helping companies maintain a high service level and react to market changes, continuous improvement is necessary. This is achievable through amongst other methods, the analysis of operations to identify wasteful activities and eliminate them. Purpose: This paper, through a thorough description and understanding of the current outbound processes at Company N, seeks to identify any wasteful activity and what might be causing such wastes. Furthermore the paper shall seek to make recommendations for reducing or eliminating wastes identified. Research Questions: What wastes can be identified in Company N’s outbound processes and why do they occur? What recommendations should be made for reducing wastes at Company N? Method: This research is qualitative in nature carried out using a deductive approach. Primary data was gathered mainly through observation and semi-structured and unstructured interviews with the goal of gaining as deep an understanding of the processes as possible. Secondary data was also gotten from multiple sources within the company. Contemporary tools and techniques like Value Stream Mapping and Gemba (observation at the place of work) were useful in identifying wastes; meanwhile the 5 Why’s questioning technique was used for finding the causes of wastes identified. Benchmarking was also used as a means of sourcing ideas and proven standards of performance. Conclusion: The research identified five main wastes including waiting, travelling, unnecessary motion, defects and processing. The main causes of the wastes include the use of manual verification during processes, limited use of batch picking, the absence of lifting aid and dissatisfaction amongst workers. The report makes recommendations including change of handling equipment and operating procedures to accommodate automatic verification of locations and items, as well as better usage of batch picking. It is also recommended to swap the location of certain articles and introduce marketing analysis to reduce travelling. Finally, recommendations are made for counteracting worker dissatisfaction such as a proposed improvement report, an appraisal system, more cross training and internal personnel development.

Sustainable Value Stream Mapping (Sus-VSM) builds upon traditional VSM to capture additional sustainability aspects of the product flow, such as environmental and societal aspects. This work presents research to expand the utility of Sus-VSM to supply chain networks, develop a general approach towards improving supply chain sustainability, and examine the benefits of implementing simulation and a design of experiments (DOE) style analysis. Metrics are identified to assess economic, environmental, and societal sustainability for supply chain networks and visual symbols are developed for the Supply Chain Sus-VSM (SC Sus-VSM) to allow users to easily identify locations where sustainability can be improved. A discrete event simulation (DES) model is developed to simulate the supply chain, allowing easier creation of future state maps, which are used to identify locations for sustainability improvement. A scoring methodology and DOE-style analysis are developed to collect more information from the supply chain. Results from the case study show that the SC Sus-VSM meets the goals desired, and that the DES model aids the goals of the map. It is also indicated that interventions in the supply chain should first focus on economic improvements, followed by societal and then environmental improvements to achieve the greatest supply chain sustainability.

Syfte: Syftet med examensarbetet är att undersöka möjligheter till effektivisering av fjärrvärmeinstallationer i småhus med hjälp Lean. Detta har gjorts genom att besvara de tre följande frågeställningarna: Hur ser en fjärrvärmeinstallation i småhus ut i dagsläget? Vilka slöserier går att identifiera i processen för fjärrvärmeinstallation i småhus? Hur kan slöserier i processen för fjärrvärmeinstallation i småhus minskas? Metod: För att uppfylla examensarbetets syfte har en fallstudie genomförts på Jönköping Energi som är en leverantör av fjärrvärme. Där har intervjuer och dokumentationsstudier använts som datainsamlingsmetoder. Litteraturstudier har gjorts för att samla in information kring teorier som sedan använts för att utvärdera och analysera empirin. Resultat: Genom studien har slöserier identifierats i processen för fjärrvärmeinstallation i småhus. Det största slöseriet som identifierats är väntan som uppstår mellan delprocesserna, vilken uppgår till 20 % av den totala ledtiden för installationen. Genom att införa ett informationssystem som täcker glappet mellan entreprenörerna och fallstudieföretaget, förändrad tidsplanering samt arbete med parallella processer anses denna väntan kunna minskas. Implikationer: Denna studie visar att med hjälp av Lean kan processen för fjärrvärmeinstallation i småhus effektiviseras och att ledtiden för processen kan förkortas genom eliminering av slöserier. Studien visar också att genom att använda periodlös planering kan ledtiden förkortas ytterligare då tidsplaneringen anpassas efter verksamheten. Begränsningar: Studien som genomförts baseras på empiri som samlats in på ett fallstudieföretag, genom att öka antalet fallstudier samt genomföra dessa på fler en ett företag ökar generaliserbarheten i resultaten. / Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate the possibilities for improving the efficiency of district heating installations in houses by using Lean. This is done by answering the following three questions: How is a district heating installation implemented? What types of wastes can be identified in the process of district heating installations in houses? How can wastes in the process of district heating installations in houses be reduced? Method: In order to fulfill the purpose of the study a case study has been conducted at Jönköping Energi, a supplier of district heating. Interviews and documentation studies have been used as data collection methods. Literature studies have been made to collect information on theories that were used to evaluate and analyze empirical data. Results: Wastes in the process of district heating in houses has been identified in the study. The biggest identified waste is the wait that occurs between the sub-processes, where wait reach up to 20 % of the total lead time of the installation. By implementing an information system, introducing changes in scheduling and start working in with parallel processes this wait can be reduced. Implications: This study shows that by using Lean the process of district heating installations in houses can be more efficient and that the lead time for the process can be shortened by eliminating wastes. The study also shows that by using bucketless planning, lead time can be shortened further when scheduling adapts to the process. Limitations: The study was carried out based on only one case study. By increasing the number of case studies and by carry those out in more than one company the generalizability of the results will be increased.

Följande examensarbete har utförts som en fallstudie hos GN Hearing och en litteraturstudie där olika teoriområden hämtats in, som la grunden för den workshop som sedan hölls hos företaget. Dessutom har strukturerade observationer, enkäter samt intervjuer utförts för att enligt ramen för en fallstudie få en så helhetligt bild av nuläget som möjligt. Studien behandlar ämnet värdeflödesanalys, och ämnar till att kartlägga GN Hearings returflöde för en viss produktfamilj. Arbetet mynnar sedan ut i en analys som med stöd av teorin presenterar förbättringsförslag och verktyg, samt ett framtida önskat värdeflöde. Examensarbetet beskriver flödet ur en synvinkel som har Lean, processorientering och värdeskapande som grund, vilket gjorde det möjligt för framtagningen av ett nytt, effektivare flöde med mindre slöserier. Frågeställningarna som genomsyrar studien handlar om att kartlägga värdeflödet för att identifiera slöserier och urskilja värdeskapande aktiviteter från icke värdeskapande inom GN Hearings ITE, retur-flöde. Resultatet från kartläggningen visar på att av alla identifierade aktiviteter, är de icke-värdeskapande aktiviteterna hela 99 % av totalen. De icke värdeskapande aktiviteterna återfanns främst i form av väntan och variation. Genom de förbättringar som föreslås tas ett nytt flöde fram, där aktiviteterna som anses vara ickevärdeskapande minskar med ca 50 %. Utöver detta presenterades även andra verktyg för ett fortsatt förbättringsarbete. / The following thesis work has been conducted as a case study at GN Hearing and a literature study, where different theoretical areas are used as the basis for the workshop that was held at the company. In addition, structured observations, surveys and interviews have been conducted to provide as comprehensive a picture of the current situation as possible. The study addresses the topic of value stream mapping and aims at substantializing GN Hearing's return flow for a particular product family. The work leads to an analysis that, with the support of the theory, presents improvement proposals and tools, as well as a future desired value flow. The thesis describes the flow from a point of view that has Lean, process orientation and value creation as a basis, which enabled the development of a new, more efficient flow with less waste. The questions that pervade the study treats mapping the value flow to identify waste and distinguishing value creation activities from non-value creation within GN Hearing's ITE return flow. The results of the value stream mapping shows that, of all identified activities, non-value adding activities are a full 99% of the total. Non-value creating activities were found primarily in the form of waiting and variation. With the proposed improvements, a new flow is emerged, where activities considered non-value adding are reduced by about 50%. In addition, other tools for further continuous improvements were also presented.

As organizações do setor público são normalmente associadas a processos lentos, burocráticos e que geram resultados insuficientes. Em função disso, têm crescido as exigências relativas ao desempenho dos órgãos do setor público. A aplicação dos conceitos Lean é uma alternativa para reduzir as perdas do setor púbico e aumentar a eficiência no uso dos recursos. Nesse contexto, este estudo tem como objetivo analisar e propor melhorias no processo de contratação de obras de uma universidade pública, com foco na eliminação das perdas, através da utilização do Mapeamento do Fluxo de Valor (MFV), bem como identificar barreiras para a aplicação do MFV e das melhorias identificadas por meio dessa ferramenta. A estratégia de pesquisa adotada foi o estudo de caso aplicado ao processo de contratação de uma obra na Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso (UFMT). Com base no MFV, foram propostas melhorias no processo, sinalizando para uma possível redução do lead time de 1.242 dias para 380 dias. Através da aplicação do MFV, também foi possível identificar barreiras para implantação dos princípios lean, como a falta de padronização dos procedimentos, falta de visão sistêmica do fluxo do processo por parte dos gestores, deficiência na capacitação dos servidores, falta de foco no cliente final e dificuldades de adaptar conceitos a práticas. Pelos resultados obtidos, é possível afirmar que os procedimentos administrativos, no contexto de obras em uma universidade pública, podem ser melhorados com a aplicação do MFV. / Public organizations are usually associated to slow bureaucratic processes with little result. Therefore, there is a growing demand for higher performances in the public sector. Using lean concepts is an alternative to reduce the losses in the public sector and enhance the efficiency of recourse use. The research herein presented is aimed at analyzing and proposing improvements in the bidding process for construction works within a public university, focusing on loss elimination, through the use of Value Stream Mapping (VSM). Besides, we intend to identify obstacles to using VSM and the benefits that come from the use of such tool. We have done a case study about the bidding process for construction works within the Federal University of Mato Grosso (UFMT). Based on VSM, we suggested improvements to the process through a possible reduction of the lead time from 1242 days to 380 days. By using VSM, it was also possible to identify obstacles to the lean principles, such as the lack of procedural standardization, the fact that managers do not have a systemic view of the process stream, employees’ need for training, lack of focus on the end client and difficulties to adapt concepts into practices. From the results, we can affirm that administrative procedures in a public university can be improved by using VSM.

As organizações do setor público são normalmente associadas a processos lentos, burocráticos e que geram resultados insuficientes. Em função disso, têm crescido as exigências relativas ao desempenho dos órgãos do setor público. A aplicação dos conceitos Lean é uma alternativa para reduzir as perdas do setor púbico e aumentar a eficiência no uso dos recursos. Nesse contexto, este estudo tem como objetivo analisar e propor melhorias no processo de contratação de obras de uma universidade pública, com foco na eliminação das perdas, através da utilização do Mapeamento do Fluxo de Valor (MFV), bem como identificar barreiras para a aplicação do MFV e das melhorias identificadas por meio dessa ferramenta. A estratégia de pesquisa adotada foi o estudo de caso aplicado ao processo de contratação de uma obra na Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso (UFMT). Com base no MFV, foram propostas melhorias no processo, sinalizando para uma possível redução do lead time de 1.242 dias para 380 dias. Através da aplicação do MFV, também foi possível identificar barreiras para implantação dos princípios lean, como a falta de padronização dos procedimentos, falta de visão sistêmica do fluxo do processo por parte dos gestores, deficiência na capacitação dos servidores, falta de foco no cliente final e dificuldades de adaptar conceitos a práticas. Pelos resultados obtidos, é possível afirmar que os procedimentos administrativos, no contexto de obras em uma universidade pública, podem ser melhorados com a aplicação do MFV. / Public organizations are usually associated to slow bureaucratic processes with little result. Therefore, there is a growing demand for higher performances in the public sector. Using lean concepts is an alternative to reduce the losses in the public sector and enhance the efficiency of recourse use. The research herein presented is aimed at analyzing and proposing improvements in the bidding process for construction works within a public university, focusing on loss elimination, through the use of Value Stream Mapping (VSM). Besides, we intend to identify obstacles to using VSM and the benefits that come from the use of such tool. We have done a case study about the bidding process for construction works within the Federal University of Mato Grosso (UFMT). Based on VSM, we suggested improvements to the process through a possible reduction of the lead time from 1242 days to 380 days. By using VSM, it was also possible to identify obstacles to the lean principles, such as the lack of procedural standardization, the fact that managers do not have a systemic view of the process stream, employees’ need for training, lack of focus on the end client and difficulties to adapt concepts into practices. From the results, we can affirm that administrative procedures in a public university can be improved by using VSM.

A crescente competição mundial exige que as empresas sejam cada vez mais ágeis e enxutas. Por isso, a idéia de otimização de processos tem estado nas discussões e nas estratégias traçadas para a manutenção da competitividade destas empresas e para que as indústrias tenham seus diferenciais de mercado. A produção enxuta, originária da indústria japonesa, é uma filosofia que vem de encontro a atender esta necessidade. Este trabalho apresenta um modelo que visa auxiliar o desenvolvimento de produção enxuta em empresas, em especial na indústria aeroespacial onde as aplicações foram estudadas, apresentando as vantagens do uso compartilhado de duas ferramentas de auxílio na implementação de um processo produtivo enxuto: o Visioneering e o mapeamento de fluxo de valor, vistos sob a ótica da metodologia Transmeth. Para tal, partiu-se de uma introdução teórica dos principais conceitos em torno destes assuntos, passando pelo relato de algumas utilizações destas ferramentas isoladamente na Embraer e chegando à elaboração do modelo de aplicação propriamente dito. / The increasing worldwide competition demands companies to become lean and agile. Therefore, the idea of process organization has been present in most discussions and strategies traced for the competitive maintenance of these companies and the industries to promote market differentiation for industries. And lean manufacturing, original from Japanese industry, is a philosophy that intends to attend this worldwide need. This work presents a model that it aims at to assist the development of lean production in companies, specially in the aerospace industry where the applications had been studied, presenting the advantages of the shared use of two tools of aid in the implementation of a lean productive process: the Visioneering and the value stream mapping, visas under the optics of the Transmeth methodology. For such, it was broken of a theoretical introduction of the main concepts in lathe of these subjects, passing for the story of some uses of these tools separately in the Embraer and arriving in the elaboration of the model of application properly said.

\"Houve época em que as empresas podiam ser organizações focadas nos próprios processos produtivos e comerciais, pressionando o mercado a se adaptar a suas necessidades ou características, de acordo com o modelo de negócios por elas praticado. Na medida em que a sociedade e o mercado se alteraram em profundidade e complexidade, exigindo ao mesmo tempo melhores produtos, mais resultados e ganhos crescentes, as empresas passaram a sentir a necessidade de se envolver num processo contínuo de melhoria\", (PINEDO, 2003). Devido ao processo de globalização produtiva os concorrentes passaram a pressionar muito mais duramente, pelo fato espantoso de que o espaço de mercado passou a ser o mundo inteiro. Defeitos e atrasos na entrega dos produtos são mazelas não mais aceitas pelos consumidores. A crescente exigência destes por produtos customizados e entregas rápidas tem provocado um litígio entre as empresas e o tradicional sistema de produção em massa, que muitas vezes não consegue atingir as expectativas dos clientes. Para se adaptarem a esse ambiente competitivo, as empresas de manufatura, seguindo os passos da indústria automobilística, estão cada vez mais utilizando os conceitos e técnicas da Produção Enxuta, ou seja, produzindo em resposta a demandas específicas, somente quando necessário, controlando a qualidade do produto e do prazo de entrega, e ao mínimo custo. Nesse sentido, o objetivo desse trabalho é propor um método de implantação de sistema Kanban que possa auxiliar as organizações a utilizarem esta ferramenta da Produção Enxuta, retirando dessa os maiores benefícios possíveis, como redução do inventário, melhoria do sistema de gerenciamento, redução de atrasos em entregas, entre outros. Esse método deverá servir como base de orientação para os envolvidos num processo de implantação de Kanban. / \"There were time where the companies could be organizations directed in the proper productive and commercial processes, pressuring the market to adapt its necessities or characteristics, in accordance with the model business-oriented for them practised. In the measure where the society and the market have modified in depth and complexity, demanding at the same time better products, more increasing results and profits, the companies had started to feel the necessity of involving in a continuous process of improvement\" (PINEDO, 2003). In consequence of the process of globalization\'s productive the competitorshad started to pressure much more hardly, for the amazing fact that the market space started to be the entire world. Defects and delays in the delivery of the products are problems not more accepted for the consumers. The increasing requirement of these for specific products and special deliveries has provoked a litigation between the companies and the traditional system of mass production, that many times do not obtain to reach the expectations of the customers. To be detached to this competitive environment, the companies of manufacture, following the steps of the automobile industry, are each time more using the concepts and techniques of the Lean Production, or either, producing in reply the specific demands, only when necessary, controlling the stated period and product quality of delivery, and minimum cost. In this direction, the objective of this work isto consider a method of system implantation Kanban that it can assist the organizations to use this tool of the Lean Production, removing that the biggest possible benefits, as reduction of inventory, improvement of the management system, reduction of delays in deliveries, among others. This method will have to serve as base of orientation for the involved ones in a process of Kanban\'s implantation.

Background It has become increasingly a problem that fashion products reach their end-of-life when they are still usable. Today, a fast-changing wardrobe has gained importance which is directly linked to overloaded landfills of textile waste and scarcity of natural resources. The pressure on companies to act upon this unsustainable consumption pattern is increasing. Different strategies are currently in the development. Within reverse supply chains, products are collected from the original user for value recovery. This study focuses is in particular on the reuse of clothing without additional treatments. Purpose The aim of this study is to investigate the value stream of a traditional fashion retailer entering the second-hand business. At the same time, possible challenges and potential areas of improvement should be identified. The reuse of garments should provide consumers a more sustainable alternative for consumption. To serve this purpose, a case study was conducted to describe key activities and formulate suggestions. Methodology The research was conducted as a qualitative case study. The data collection included personal communication, process observation and an in-depth semi-structured interview. The findings were analyzed using a value stream mapping method. Findings and Discussion The data collection offered a holistic insight into the processes and motivation that are involved in the second-hand concept of the studied retailer. The findings concerning the reverse logistics were depicted in the current-state value stream map. This was adjusted to a possible future-state map based on improvements which were elaborated with the reviewed literature. Additionally, a recommendation for a performance measurement framework was developed. Research limitations The studied retail concept was still at its start-up stage at the time of the research. Therefore, only a limited amount of empirical data was available to collect. Furthermore, the research was conducted over a short period of time and the impact of the recommended improvements for the value stream could not be observed and evaluated. A future research is suggested to focus on the monitoring of the implementation of the future-state map. The success can be assessed with the help of the proposed performance measurement framework and based on that a new future-state map should be created to ensure continuous improvement.