Estágio realizado na Bosch Portugal, S. A. e orientado pelo Eng.º Nelson Ré / Tese de mestrado integrado. Engenharia Mecânica. Faculdade de Engenharia. Universidade do Porto. 2009

Estágio realizado na Bosch Car Multimedia Portugal e orientado pelo Eng.º Luís Lobo / Tese de mestrado integrado. Engenharia Industrial e Gestão. Faculdade de Engenharia. Universidade do Porto. 2009

<p>Titel: PMC WAY – Vägen till effektiv produktion</p><p>Problem: Hur kan PMC AB använda sig av Lean production-konceptet för att få en mer produktiv och effektiv produktion?</p><p>Syfte: Syftet med denna uppsats är att på uppdrag av PMC AB genomföra en studie om konceptet Lean production, för att sedan ta reda på hur PMC AB kan använda sig av detta koncept i sin produktion för att bli mer effektiva och produktiva.</p><p>Metod: För att genomföra studien har primär- och sekundär data använts. Den primära datan har samlats in genom intervjuer med personer på PMC AB samt observationer i produktionen. Den sekundära datan består av information insamlad från litteratur, artiklar, Internet och broschyrer.</p><p>Resultat: Studien visar att Lean production inte bara är användbart i stora österländska företag såsom Toyota, utan går att implementera på alla olika sorters företag. Konceptet betonar dock vikten av att grundligt gå igenom alla delar av företaget och inte glömma någon. Toyota Ways fyra huvudområden tar upp just alla företagets delar, vilket har gjort att modellen blivit så framgångsrik. De fyra huvuddelarna är filosofin, processerna, medarbetare och partners samt problemlösning. Alla fyra huvudområden är viktiga på olika sätt, men utan den långsiktiga filosofin blir det svårare, om inte omöjligt, att uppnå framgång med konceptet. Den långsiktiga filosofin sitter tätt ihop med att företaget måste få med sig alla medarbetare i detta långsiktiga tänkande. Ledarna måste få medarbetarna motiverade och känna ett engagemang gentemot verksamheten och inte bara ser det som ett arbete. Kan ledarna få medarbetarna motiverade går det lätt att förbättra processerna och få bort allt slöseri i företaget. Detta kan dock endast göras om medarbetarna och ledarna själva blir problemlösare och lär sig se och lösa problem. Därför måste företaget få dem att inse att problem är något bra och något som endast kan göra företaget bättre. Genom att använda sig av denna modell har vi kunnat få fram vad som är viktigt för PMC att tänka på för att får en mer produktiv och effektiv produktion. Vi har analyserat fram hur PMC kan förbättras, och lämnat förslag till ledningen som nu får ta över arbetet med att genomföra dessa förbättringar.</p>

<p>The high level of competition and the rapidly growing technology development has created new challenges for today's businesses where they are forced to deliver more customized products at a lower price and a shorter time period. This places high demands on the companies' ability to design and develop better products in a more efficient way. In addition to developing products, the design process focuses on securing long-term success for the company by developing nourishing skills. However, to achieve an effective design process the companies must improve their ability to plan as well as use their knowledge base in a more efficient manner. Toyota's product development system is a critical component for companies to address challenges that they’re facing and offers a great potential to create significant competitive advantages. Toyota's product development system is designed to streamline the design of processes and products, as they often create restrictions on business and describes the importance of making use of a coordinated effort by several functions, and strives to integrate processes, people, technology and tools in an effective manner.</p><p> </p><p>The concept of Concurrent Engineering includes parallel efforts rather than a time-consuming serial work and seeks to minimize delays in the product development process. Concurrent Engineering enables for quality products, to reach the market faster at a lower cost and allows the company to quickly and flexibly adapt to changing demands and conditions through parallel efforts. Like Toyota’s product development system, Concurrent Engineering promotes an integrated approach where multifunctional teams work towards a common goal striving to solve problems at an early stage.</p><p> </p><p>Propulsion and Control in Västerås, a division within Bombardier Transportation, is currently suffering from extensive engineering changes and struggles to uphold time plans and budgets. The thesis will therefore cover the complete product development process where focus has been directed towards the processes and conditions that could enable for an effective product development process. During the thesis work the underlying causes for the problems mentioned above, have been identified. Internal documents regarding the company's current process has been reviewed and interviews have been carried out in order to evaluate the company’s current situation. During the thesis work a comparative study has been conducted at a large company within the Mälardalen-region. This study has been used as a practical example to reinforce the theoretical reasoning and has additionally allowed for further examination of a company's product development process.</p><p> </p><p>The thesis has resulted in a number of suggestions for improvements, where the main action areas are covered by cross-functionality, routines, follow-up, supplier involvement and prototypes. Another action area that has been identified is front-loading which aims at examining several alternatives and solving problems as well as creating countermeasures at an early stage. These six areas were found to have a significant role in creating an effective product development process and are considered to be relevant for the company's current situation.</p>

Titel: PMC WAY – Vägen till effektiv produktion Problem: Hur kan PMC AB använda sig av Lean production-konceptet för att få en mer produktiv och effektiv produktion? Syfte: Syftet med denna uppsats är att på uppdrag av PMC AB genomföra en studie om konceptet Lean production, för att sedan ta reda på hur PMC AB kan använda sig av detta koncept i sin produktion för att bli mer effektiva och produktiva. Metod: För att genomföra studien har primär- och sekundär data använts. Den primära datan har samlats in genom intervjuer med personer på PMC AB samt observationer i produktionen. Den sekundära datan består av information insamlad från litteratur, artiklar, Internet och broschyrer. Resultat: Studien visar att Lean production inte bara är användbart i stora österländska företag såsom Toyota, utan går att implementera på alla olika sorters företag. Konceptet betonar dock vikten av att grundligt gå igenom alla delar av företaget och inte glömma någon. Toyota Ways fyra huvudområden tar upp just alla företagets delar, vilket har gjort att modellen blivit så framgångsrik. De fyra huvuddelarna är filosofin, processerna, medarbetare och partners samt problemlösning. Alla fyra huvudområden är viktiga på olika sätt, men utan den långsiktiga filosofin blir det svårare, om inte omöjligt, att uppnå framgång med konceptet. Den långsiktiga filosofin sitter tätt ihop med att företaget måste få med sig alla medarbetare i detta långsiktiga tänkande. Ledarna måste få medarbetarna motiverade och känna ett engagemang gentemot verksamheten och inte bara ser det som ett arbete. Kan ledarna få medarbetarna motiverade går det lätt att förbättra processerna och få bort allt slöseri i företaget. Detta kan dock endast göras om medarbetarna och ledarna själva blir problemlösare och lär sig se och lösa problem. Därför måste företaget få dem att inse att problem är något bra och något som endast kan göra företaget bättre. Genom att använda sig av denna modell har vi kunnat få fram vad som är viktigt för PMC att tänka på för att får en mer produktiv och effektiv produktion. Vi har analyserat fram hur PMC kan förbättras, och lämnat förslag till ledningen som nu får ta över arbetet med att genomföra dessa förbättringar.

The high level of competition and the rapidly growing technology development has created new challenges for today's businesses where they are forced to deliver more customized products at a lower price and a shorter time period. This places high demands on the companies' ability to design and develop better products in a more efficient way. In addition to developing products, the design process focuses on securing long-term success for the company by developing nourishing skills. However, to achieve an effective design process the companies must improve their ability to plan as well as use their knowledge base in a more efficient manner. Toyota's product development system is a critical component for companies to address challenges that they’re facing and offers a great potential to create significant competitive advantages. Toyota's product development system is designed to streamline the design of processes and products, as they often create restrictions on business and describes the importance of making use of a coordinated effort by several functions, and strives to integrate processes, people, technology and tools in an effective manner.   The concept of Concurrent Engineering includes parallel efforts rather than a time-consuming serial work and seeks to minimize delays in the product development process. Concurrent Engineering enables for quality products, to reach the market faster at a lower cost and allows the company to quickly and flexibly adapt to changing demands and conditions through parallel efforts. Like Toyota’s product development system, Concurrent Engineering promotes an integrated approach where multifunctional teams work towards a common goal striving to solve problems at an early stage.   Propulsion and Control in Västerås, a division within Bombardier Transportation, is currently suffering from extensive engineering changes and struggles to uphold time plans and budgets. The thesis will therefore cover the complete product development process where focus has been directed towards the processes and conditions that could enable for an effective product development process. During the thesis work the underlying causes for the problems mentioned above, have been identified. Internal documents regarding the company's current process has been reviewed and interviews have been carried out in order to evaluate the company’s current situation. During the thesis work a comparative study has been conducted at a large company within the Mälardalen-region. This study has been used as a practical example to reinforce the theoretical reasoning and has additionally allowed for further examination of a company's product development process.   The thesis has resulted in a number of suggestions for improvements, where the main action areas are covered by cross-functionality, routines, follow-up, supplier involvement and prototypes. Another action area that has been identified is front-loading which aims at examining several alternatives and solving problems as well as creating countermeasures at an early stage. These six areas were found to have a significant role in creating an effective product development process and are considered to be relevant for the company's current situation.

After signing ECFA (Economic Cooperation Framework Agreement), all of the fundamental industries of Taiwan are going to face the serious impact. As a result, Refractory Industry can¡¦t skip out the pool. Although refractory industry still undercover by government policy, Chinese products are going to sweep across Taiwan market with price advantage after Taiwan and China government signed the significant economic agreement. Some companies consider reducing cost and improve quality via automatic manufacturing procedures. However, the further question is that can automation really improve the producing efficiency and reduce manpower demand? That will be the main discussion subject of this research. The research concentrates on the planning, construction and actual benefit contrasting of press machine in six months and take 6 Sigma and TPS (Toyota Production System) as the research method. We estimate that reasonable investment can create producing efficiency. We are going to compare the benefits of same press machine with and without automatic manufacturing procedure and also different types of press machine to produce same product in same condition at the same period. This research demonstrated that partial equipment automation or single old equipment automation doesn¡¦t really increase the production efficiency. The result of decreasing the cost of production, such as the cost of manpower, is not notable. In order to achieve the objective goal, we still need to inspect the whole manufacturing procedure, equipment assembling in detail, and arrange the perfect combination of people and machines, then the most synergy could be happened. As for the manufacture management concept and practice, we should abandon fixed frame, thought, and keep manufacture procedure improving. All in all, the improvement of concept and practice, the effect could be far over the benefit of auto equipment, the cost could be much lower than the investments of the equipments. Replacing the manpower by mechanical arms, it indeed reaches the goal of few staff trend and lowers the accident ratio. Few staff environment will cause the operator¡¦s working stability, improve the phenomenon of losing labor.

In recent years, due to the influence of international energy supply and demand change, the request of carbon reducing lead by the climatic change, and the security issue from Japanese nucleus accident, push us have to develop multi-type power units; These results carries the power generation ways not only depend on the nuclear power, the coal-fire, the fuel oil or the hydrualic power, but also distribute partial demand to the gas turbine with combined cycle, the wind power, the solar energy and so on. If power plants have still to maintain high quality to produce and reduce the cost, its method of management also adjust to meet. The lean production is a famous way study and compile by many experts from the Toyota-type production which becomes the business model to enterprise, it emphasis that keep people to improve and the continue flow oriented , is precisely study model which the power plant management most needs now. This research is take a diversity power plant as the research case, by visits and measures that in the power plant each kind of experts. The lean production will induct the power plant production management to the lean production management concept's cognition and the inquisition, the attempt seeks improves the power plant management achievements the important key success factor, and the construction leaves the fine solid management mechanism. After collects various experts' questionnaire material, by the AHP level analysis method, the induction research obtains the following conclusion, First, the power generation process is real pull system, the demand carries by the customer (household power user) - the contribution center (to represent) proposed that initiates a serial electric power generation processes. Second, If considering the cost and quality factors with understanding and research of the operation, maintenance, manages experts , we get that the lean production way is truly suitable to fulfill in the power plant generation process, it¡¦s key point : 1.Should devote in formulate the work flow standardization, strengthens ability of the operators and maintain steady supply of fuel, find the good maintenance procedure, keep the production to be smooth. 2.Should participate in the improvement activity diligently including operator's all personnel, as well as promotes the power plant business to ability of the unit performance analysis, understood the characteristic of each production process, pursues the highest efficiency, expect to reduce the cost, and goal the quality promotion. 3.After the experts¡¦ decision-making process, we can involve the essential factor of lean production to be the management construction of power plant, but the case power plant has initially had the essence solid state. Key words: Lean production, the Toyota-type production, pull system , AHP, the standardization

When the profit is compressed by the cost, quality, delivery, efficiency and flexibility in the tranditional industries, it is always the focus for the academic community and the field about how to build up two basic forces of competition: ¡§quick response¡¨ and ¡§competitive advantage¡¨ in the trends toward continuously short life cycle of product and extremely small amount yet many varieties of product. Applying lean production with ¡§small quantity yet most variety¡¨ to the activities of business operation is expected to create a highly lean and refined enterprise through the process of management in the company operation and to make more benefits to reach the goal of business and survive in the field. This research discusses if ¡§customer participatation¡¨, ¡§the relations with suppliers¡¨ and ¡§the management technique of organization¡¨ quoted from the the management concepts of lean production influence manufacturing efficiency and also treats the correlation between them. Furthermore, it verifies the difference between each dimension of management concept of lean production mentioned above with the organization performance. It takes the tranditional manufacturing industry in Taiwan as the objects of sampling and collects the cognitions of the interviewed on the three measuring dimensions including relation with suppliers, the management technique of organization, and customer participatation to the agreement degree for the execution inside organization and also the agreement degree to suppliers. The raw data are verified by SPSS software package and we get some conclusions below: There is remarkable positive influence between the suppliers with lean production and manufacturing performance. The factor of suppliers¡¦ participation has direct influence, and the next is information feedback from suppliers. But no direct influence existed to those suppliers with JIT delivery. There is remarkable positive influence between the management technique of organization and manufacturing performance. We find direct positive effect between manufacturing process SPC and employees¡¦ participation EMP. But there is no remarkably direct influence to ¡§Pull production¡¨, ¡§Continuous production process¡¨, ¡§ Shorten preparing time¡¨ and ¡§Total production maintenance¡¨. However, the influences of ¡§ Shorten preparing time¡¨, ¡§Total production maintenance¡¨ are bigger than ¡§Pull production¡¨ and ¡§Continuous production process¡¨. There is remarkable positive influence between the customers with lean production and manufacturing performance. Mainly direct influence effect for customer participation exists but no direct influence effect for information feedback from suppliers relatively. There is remarkable positive influence between the suppliers with lean production and customers¡¦ participation. The study finds that there is direct influence effect for information feedback from suppliers and customers¡¦ participation. Second are suppliers¡¦ participation and suppliers with JIT delivery. The result of this research provides managers in the manufacturing industry a path to improve the manufacturing performance of company by undertaking 5 remarkable indexes: (1) Suppliers¡¦ participation, (2) Information feedback from suppliers, (3) Management of manufacturing process, (4) Employees participation, (5) Customers¡¦ participation. Enhancing the relations with suppliers as well as customer participation, and upgrading management technique of organization will effectively improve the quality and delivery performance for the suppliers. Also it improves the manufacturing performance, and promotes the satisfication level of customers to increase enterprise¡¦s competition at last.

In a world economy where globalization reaches almost every corner, the need for a company to attain flexibility has acquired tremendous importance to remain competitive and profitable. This Thesis would present the importance of flexibility in times of uncertain conditions (natural and socio-economic), it would present an analysis of the struggle of Toyota Motors Manufacturing Texas and one of its on-site suppliers Futaba Industrial Texas “FIT” to attain Manufacturing Flexibility through different economic crisis and a natural disaster presenting its strategies to mitigate economic losses and cope with the turbulent environment by developing robust systems. / text