Companies are constantly seeking new ways to increase their efficiency and flexibility to be able to meet the market demand, industry 4.0 has provided companies with new tools that enables them to better track the performance of a process and more easily optimise it. In a high mix and low volume manufacturing process a lot of inefficiencies are prone to occur due to the high variety. A simulation can be a very beneficial tool to use in the optimisation of a manufacturing process. In a simulation a digital twin of the physical process is constructed to replicate the real-world results, the simulation can then be used to test how changes to the process affects the desired performance objectives. The purpose of this study was to use a simulation to optimise the process by increasing output and reduce lead time as well as increase the visual presentation of the process. The purpose was fulfilled by a review of literature on the subject, interviews, observations and a document study before a simulation model and value stream map was constructed. The bottleneck analysis and the value stream map highlighted a few inefficiencies in the process that was solved by implementing a few solutions that would improve the balance of the process and increase output and decrease lead time. A visual presentation tool was also developed to calculate the expected lead time for a new order and show how the flow of orders would develop in the near future.

Introduction: To stay relevant, it is required that companies work with continuous improvements.Finding inefficiencies is not always easy. One way to try to find inefficiencies is throughflow mapping. This study examines what causes inefficient activities for industrial servicecompanies. Purpose: The purpose of the study is to investigate how a workflow at an industrial servicecompany can be made more efficient with the help of flow mapping. Method: The study is conducted through a case study at a service industry company that maintainsand repairs motors and frequency converters. Flow mapping was used to map activitiesin the workflow and literature was collected to be able to conduct a flow mappingcorrectly. Interviews and observations have been used to support the flow mapping. Results: The company has two service workshops that have similar activities in their flow. Evenso, one of the workflows is more efficient than the other. Based on the comparison of theworkflows, inspiration has been used to adjust the workflow for the frequency converterworkshop. Using flow mapping and methods from lean, a future flow map has beencreated where non-value-added activities have been eliminated. Conclusion: Based on the results, several improvement proposals have been drawn up for thecompany's workshops. Industrial service companies can use flow mapping and VSM toeliminate non-value-added activities. Lean tools can be used to create order and structurethat lead to shorter lead times.

Research reveal that the construction industry does not have the same level of growth and development in performance compared to the manufacturing industry, and that Lean could be one solution to improve performance. Most research about Lean in the construction industry that exist today focus on simulating future scenarios. Hence miss analysing the impact Lean has on the current situation of construction projects, and its usability and possibility to set the framework for how to improve performances in construction projects. Thus, there is a gap in research concerning the evaluation on current process flows. This research explores Lean as a management method to understand how it has been used in the construction industry and how it could be used in construction projects to improve process flows. This will be done by using the method Value Stream Mapping, a method within Lean that is used to identify Non-Value-Adding activities in the process flow to point out what activities can be improved. The case study in this research explores two different value streams within two construction projects; deliveries and mounting one side of the framework of interior walls. Thus, the research will explore if and how the value stream differentiates between the two projects, with the aim to understand the reason for the results to understand how future construction projects could improve their process flows within a value stream. Data will be collected and analysed qualitative by combining observations and interviews. The value stream for deliveries differentiated between the projects. Project A had 73% Non-Value-Adding activities with a cycle time of 3,1 m2/min whilst Project B had 65% with a cycle time of 2,7 m2/min. In both projects Non-Value-Adding activities were categorized as Waiting, Movement, Transport and Overproduction. The value stream for mounting in Project A had 31% Non-Value-Adding activities with a cycle time of 2,9 m2/hour whilst Project B had 41% Non-Value-Adding activities with a cycle time of 1,7 m2/hour. In both project activities were categorized as Waiting, Transport, Incorrect processing and Movement. However, in Project B Overproduction was also identified as a Non-Value-Adding activity. Findings from the study shows that even though construction projects are complex and consist of variabilities, it is possible to observe value streams to identify Non-Value-Adding activities. Nevertheless, it is crucial to adjust the method to the construction industry since the theory of Value Stream Mapping originate from the manufacturing industry. This research recommends excluding number of resources as a category from the method and instead evaluate resources based on the total time, and to categorize inspections and reading drawing as Value-Adding activities instead of Non-Value-Adding. The study reveals that construction projects that work with Lean and its method Value Stream Mapping are given new opportunities to improve process flows. Thus, construction projects could be able to improve processes without needing to invest in more resources, material and tools. Not only could projects lower construction costs but also improve production time as Non-Value-Adding activities are reduced. Thus, the research believes Lean and its method Value Stream Mapping could improve performances within the construction industry. / Tidigare forskning menar att Lean skulle kunna vara en lösning på det faktum att byggindustrin inte har haft lika stor tillväxt och utveckling som bilindustrin. Den forskning som finns idag gällande Lean i byggindustrin fokuserar på att simulera framtida scenarier av den effekt Lean skulle kunna ge. Därav försummas analysering av den faktiska effekten Lean har i pågående situationer samt användbarheten och möjligheten att fastställa ramverk för hur man kan förbättra prestationer och tillväxt i byggprojekt. Denna studie utforskar Lean som en ledarskapsmetod. Studien fördjupar sig i Lean för att förstå hur det tidigare har använts i byggindustrin och förstå dess användbarhet och möjlighet att förbättra processflöden i byggprojekt. Value Stream Mapping, en metod inom Lean kommer att användas för att identifiera icke-värdeskapande aktiviteter i process flöden samt för att se vilka aktiviteter som kan förbättras eller elimineras. Fallstudien i denna forskning undersöker två olika värdeflöden inom två byggprojekt; ta emot leveranser och enkling av innerväggarna. Studien kommer att undersöka om och hur värdeflödena skiljer sig mellan de två projekten, med syfte att förstå orsaken till resultaten och förstå hur framtida byggprojekt kan förbättra processer inom värdeflödena. Data samlas in och analyseras kvalitativt genom att kombinera observationer och intervjuer. I värdeflödet för leveranser hade Projekt A 73% icke-värdeskapande aktiviteter med en produktionstid på 3,1 m2/min medan Projekt B hade 65% icke-värdeskapande aktiviteter med en produktionstid på 2,7 m2/min. Aktiviteterna i projekten kategoriserades som slöseri i form av, väntande, rörelse, transport och överproduktion. I värdeflödet för monteringen hade Projekt A 31% icke-värdeskapande aktiviteter med en produktionstid på 2,9 m2/h medan Projekt B hade 41% icke-värdeskapande aktiviteter med en produktionstid på 1,7 m2/h. I. I båda projekten kategoriserades icke-värdeskapande aktiviteter som slöseri i form av, väntande, rörelse, transport och fel bearbetning. Projekt B hade även slöseri i form av överproduktion. Studien visar att trots att byggprojekt är komplexa och varierande, är det möjligt att observera värdeströmmar för att identifiera aktiviteter som inte tillför värde. Det är däremot nödvändigt att anpassa metoden till byggindustrin då Value Stream Mapping grundar sin teori från bilindustrin. Studien rekommenderar att utesluta antalet resurser som en slöserikategori och istället utvärdera resurser genom att se på den totala tiden samt att kategorisera inspektioner och läsa ritning som värdeskapande aktiviteter i stället för icke-värdeskapande. Studien visar att byggprojekt som arbetar med Lean och dess metod Value Stream Mapping ges möjligheter att förbättra sina processflöden. Således skulle byggprojekt kunna förbättra processer utan att behöva investera i mer resurser, material och verktyg och därmed kunna sänka byggkostnaderna. Slutligen skulle byggprojekt kunna förbättra sina produktionstider då icke-värdeskapande aktiviteter reduceras. Studien visar därmed att Lean och dess metod Value Stream Mapping skulle kunna förbättra tillväxten inom byggindustrin.

In this competitive world with rapid growth of markets, the main goal of any company is to attain an edge over its competitors. In order to achieve this goal a company has to continually improve its process and eliminate the wastes in the process while not compromising on the quality of the product and customer satisfaction. Though Eco Supplies Solar AB is one of the largest producers of Photovoltaic solar modules in Scandinavia, the need for improvement is vital to match with growing requirements and to maintain its position in the market. This master thesis was done for Eco Supplies Solar AB, so as to help them identify the waste along their value stream process. The project was divided into three phases. The first phase of the project was to map and analyze the plant layout as well as analyze the worker movement. This helped to understand the various movements through the entire process of production and the associated distances and time. The second phase of the thesis was the execution of the Value Stream Mapping. For this purpose the entire production process was walked through and through several interviews the data was collected. The current state value stream map gave a one page static picture of the key areas of waste within the process and to suggest necessary changes so as to improve the efficiency. The suggested changes are implemented and the future state map is drawn. The results from the current state and future state map are calculated theoretically and analyzed. The third phase is the use of Simulation to understand the behavioral effects of each the processes and to determine the overall change in productivity if the changes are implemented. It is difficult to implement changes in a production plant that works continuously for 24 hours. That would interrupt production and also lead to large costs. The easier and most optimal solution to implement changes, understand the behavior of each process before and after the changes and to analyze the changes is to run a simulation model of the current and future state. The simulation is done using Extend Sim software and the results are analyzed further. The main aim of the thesis was to analyze the current plant layout and the product process and develop a methodology to identify visualize and measure the wastes in the production process of Photovoltaic solar modules.

Stoneridge, Inc. is an independent designer and manufacturer of highly engineered electrical and electronic components, modules and systems principally for the automotive, commercial vehicle, motorcycle, agricultural and off-highway vehicle markets. A subsidiary of Stoneridge, Inc. is the company Stoneridge Electronics. They specialise in instrument clusters and tachographs which are manufactured in high quantityin their production plant in Örebro, Sweden. This master thesis focuses on the production line of an instrument cluster called Angela. In close collaboration with Stoneridge Electronics, the goal was to find ways to improve the output of the Angela line by at least 10% compared to the three best months in terms of output from the year before. The Angela line was analyzed thoroughly and from different perspectives using lean tools such as value stream mapping, spaghetti diagram and continuous improvement. Finally, the simulation software ExtendSim was used in order to simulate and analyse different suggestions. The results show that various steps can be taken to improve the efficiency and output of the manufacturing line by as much as 16.3%. Due to the fact that other production lines within the production are similar to the one that the project was carried out on, the project results could be applicable for the other lines as well. / Stoneridge, Inc. är en oberoende designer och tillverkare av högteknologiska elektriska och elektroniska komponenter, moduler och system huvudsakligen för fordonsmarknaderna. Ett dotterbolag till Stoneridge, Inc. är företaget Stoneridge Electronics. De är specialiserade på instrument kluster och färdskrivare som tillverkas i produktionsanläggning i Örebro. Denna examensarbete fokuserar på produktionslinje av ett instrumentkluster som heter Angela. I nära samarbete med Stoneridge Electronics,målet var att hitta sätt att förbättra produktionen av Angela linje med minst 10 % jämförtmed de tre bästa månaderna när det gäller produktion från året innan. Angela-linjen analyserades grundligt och från olika perspektiv med lean verktyg som värdeflödesanalys, spaghetti diagram och kontinuerlig förbättring. Slutligen användes simuleringsprogrammet ExtendSim för att simulera och analysera olika förslag. Resultaten visar att olika steg kan vidtas för att förbättra effektiviteten och produktionen av produktionslinjen med så mycket som 16.3%. På grund av att andra produktionslinjer inom produktionen liknar den som projektet genomfördes på, kan projektresultaten vara tillämpliga för andra linjer också.

In a 2023 where global crises follow one another, globallogistics have been heavily affected and have thereforebecome an increasingly important focus area. The issues thathave arisen have led companies and organizations to exploretheir options for insourcing processes that were previouslyoutsourced, in order to avoid unnecessary risks withdeliveries and their timelines.In this quantitative deductive case study, the purpose is toexamine the advantages and disadvantages of insourcingwithin the industrial sector. To investigate this purpose, fourmethods were used: flow diagrams, Value Stream Mapping(VSM), Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA), and digitalization ofwhiteboards meant for meetings. The results showed severalimprovements, primarily through reduced lead times, positiveprofitability, and more efficient workflows.The conclusions of the study are that insourcing processescan bring several positive aspects to the organization, with themain barrier being investment costs / I ett 2023 där globala kriser avlöser varandra så har denglobala logistiken påverkats kraftigt och därav blivit ett alltstörre fokusområde. Problematiken som skapats har lett till attföretag och verksamheter har utforskat sina möjligheter attinsourca processer som tidigare har varit outsourcade för attundvika onödiga risker med leveranser och dess tider.I denna fallstudie så är studiens syfte att undersöka vilkamöjligheter och utmaningar som insourcing av enindustriprocess medför på verksamheten. För att besvaraforskningsfrågan så användes Value Stream Mapping (VSM)och Cost-Benefit-Analysis (CBA). Resultatet visade på ettflertal förbättringar, främst genom förkortade ledtider, enpositiv lönsamhet samt effektivare arbetssätt. Ledtidernaminskade med 88% för processen vilket motsvarade 16% avverksamhetens totala ledtid. Med en avkastning på 14,2% perår gör att investerings kapitalet är återbetalt efter 7 år i drift.

There is a gap in the research regarding applications of Lean tools in the wood fiber supply chain. A Value Stream Map (VSM) tool that focused on identifying Lean waste in logistic operations was developed and applied to three case study firms: a paper mill, a sawmill, and a logger. Using the VSM tool an absence of structured methods to select and assess suppliers was found, which promotes a fluctuating environment for suppliers. Therefore, a tool that implements a hierarchy system to categorize suppliers was developed, verified and validated. Through the use of the VSM implementation the author found a lack of information sharing between supply chain stakeholders, which causes a reactive environment for the industry. Improvements in wood flow planning, tract allocation, truck scheduling, and communication were projected as a future state of the system. The annual potential savings by implementing the projected improvements in the total cost were as follows for the paper mill, the sawmill, and the logger respectively: $306,232, $312,085, $756,504. As a result of the findings obtained through the VSMs, a supplier selection model was designed. The tool was implemented into software for the wood industry. The tool was then verified and validated. The verification process consisted of comparing the output through previously known results and was performed through seven interviews with different stakeholders. The appropriate application of the supplier selection tool improves the way in which companies in the wood industry select and assess their suppliers and guarantee that the best alternatives are selected. / Master of Science / In the wood fiber supply chain, integration between different parties within a supply chain has proven to be a difficult task. An innovative lean-logistics tool value-streamed map (VSM) was developed to evaluate the current and future state of a supply chain Once the tool was developed it was used to map the wood fiber supply chain, determine and measure key performance metrics, calculate the cost of logistics operations, and identify potential sources of waste. Three case studies representing common wood fiber supply chains were conducted to develop three current VSMs for selected value streams. The lack of communication between supply chain partners was determined to be the most significant source of waste in all three cases. Lack of communication could lead to idle equipment, unnecessary waiting times, excessive inventories, overproduction, and excessive transportation and movement. As a result of the findings obtained through the VSMs, which revealed the absence of structured methods to select and assess suppliers, a supplier selection model was designed. The tool was implemented into software for the wood industry. The tool was then verified and validated. The verification process consisted of comparing the output through previously known results and was performed through seven interviews with different stakeholders. The appropriate application of the supplier selection tool improves the way in which companies in the wood industry select and assess their suppliers and guarantee that the best alternatives are selected, thus increasing the chance of a successful relationship and increasing the value that the company gets from its supplier base.

För att företag idag ska vara konkurrenskraftiga krävs hög kvalitet, leveransförmåga och flexibilitet. Olhager (2013) menar att ständiga förbättringar av företagsstrategier, produkter och processer är nödvändigt. Lean verktyget värdeflödesanalys kan användas för att identifiera slöserier och förbättra produktiviteten (Rahani & al-Ashraf, 2012). I denna studie undersöks det hur ett globalt industriföretag som tillverkar till kärnkraftsindustrin kan öka sin effektivitet trots regleringar från standarder och kundkrav. För att undersöka detta har observationer gjorts på företagets produktionsflöde, sedan har fyra intervjuer utförts för att få en god bild över företagets produktionsflöde och administrativa flöde samt deras nuläge. Dessutom har relevant litteratur ifrån vetenskapliga artiklar, böcker, myndigheter samlats in. Fallföretagets produkter måste uppfylla produktstandarden ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code och andra krav i kundspecifikationen, som täcker tillverkning, inspektion, kvalitetssäkring, testning och frakt. För att tillverka till kärnkraftsindustrin behöver företag följa strikta kvalitetskrav samt att det förekommer omfattande mängd dokumentation och provtagningar. Företaget i denna studie har tidigare använt värdeflödesanalys för att analysera mindre delar av flödet, men företaget ser potential för bredare användning. Slutsatserna för denna studie är att standarder som ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code är viktiga för kärnkraftssäkerheten. Standarden ställer höga krav för tillverkningen där det måste utföras flera kvalitetskontroller för att förhindra defekter. Detta kan göra tillverkningsprocessen mer komplex och tidskrävande i jämförelse med andra industrier. Då företaget i denna studie har ett omfattande administrativt flöde som följer längs med materialflödet är det många delar att ha kontroll på. Att använda värdeflödesanalys och analysera en större del av flödet ger en helhetsbild och möjlighet till gemensam förståelse över flödets begränsningar. För att utföra effektiva förbättringar är det viktigt att vara eniga om hur flödet ser ut och vart flaskhalsarna finns som begränsar flödet. Utifrån företaget i denna studies behov är värdeflödesanalys enligt teorin ett lämpligt verktyg att använda för att navigera i deras förbättringsarbete och öka effektiviteten. / For companies today to be competitive, high quality, delivery capability and flexibility are required. Olhager (2013) believes that continuous improvement of company strategies, products and processes becomes necessary. The Lean tool value stream mapping can be used to identify waste and improve productivity (Rahani & al-Ashraf, 2012). This study analyzes how a global industrial company that manufactures for the nuclear power industry can increase its efficiency despite regulations from standards and customer requirements. To study this, observations have been made on the company's production flow, then four interviews have been carried out to get a good picture of the company's material and administrative flow and current situation. In addition, have relevant literature from scientific articles, books, authorities been collected. The case company's products must meet the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code product standard and other customer specification requirements, covering manufacturing, inspection, quality assurance, testing and shipping. In order to manufacture for the nuclear power industry, companies need to follow strict quality requirements and there is an extensive amount of documentation and sampling. The company in this study has previously used value flow analysis to analyze smaller parts of the flow, but the company sees potential for wider use. The conclusions of this study are that standards such as the ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code are important for nuclear safety. The standard places high demands on the manufacturing, where several quality controls must be carried out to prevent defects. This can make the manufacturing process more complex and time-consuming compared to other industries. As the company in this study has an extensive administrative flow that follows along with the material flow, there are many parts to have control over. Using value flow analysis and analyzing a larger part of the flow provides an overall picture and the opportunity for a common understanding of the flow's limitations. To carry out effective improvements, it is important to agree on what the flow looks like and where the bottlenecks are that limit the flow. Based on the needs of the company in this study, value flow analysis is, according to the theory, an appropriate tool to use to navigate their improvement efforts and increase efficiency.

The emergency departments in Sweden have today a heavy flow of patients which leads to long patient lead time. This development requires the emergency departments to increase their efficiency to be able to receive the major influx of patients. More and more emergency departments are beginning to look over the emergency department processes to create a more efficient patient flow and shorter patient lead times. This study took place at the emergency department at Vrinnevi Hospital in Norrköping. This emergency department´s patient lead times are too long especially for patients which become hospitalized. The purpose of the study was to map which activities creates waiting time, this was done with a value stream analysis. Since there is a big difference in the influx of patients and capacity, the day was divided into four intervals, night, morning, afternoon, and evening. The value streams were also divided into two patient groups, home and hospitalized, to demonstrate the differences in patient lead times. Through analysis of the value streams, improvement suggestions were developed. The study identified several activities that created waiting time and prolonged the patient lead time. Since some of these activities were affected by outer factors and some only by inner factors, the suggestions were divided into improvement suggestions that take place outside the hospital and improvements that take place inside the hospital. Outer improvements that could improve the patient lead time are, amongst others, the implementation of an urgent care center and improved communication with the municipality. The urgent care center serves to ease the overcrowding at the emergency department by tending to patients with non-life-threatening conditions. Improved communication aims to release hospital beds faster by making the work of establishing a care plan more efficient. Improvements that take place inside the hospital are amongst others improvement of the booking system for transport and an increase in the number of assessment personnel. The improvement of the booking system for the transport of patients from the emergency department to a ward leads to a shorter waiting time at the emergency department. Increasing the number of assessment personnel would lead to less waiting time to access and labs could be taken quicker. A big problem that leads to long patient lead times, is the shortage of hospital beds at the hospitals in Sweden. The number of hospital beds cannot continue to decrease, it should increase to meet the demand for health care. To sum up, Swedish health care needs to be invested in to increase patient safety, decrease patient lead times, and give the health care workers a reasonable working environment. / Akutmottagningarna i Sverige idag har stora inflöden av patienter vilket leder till långa patientledtider, denna utveckling ställer krav på att akutmottagningarna behöver öka effektiviteten för att kunna ta emot det stora inflödet av patienter. Allt fler akutmottagningar börjar därför se över processerna på sina akutmottagningar för att skapa effektivare patientflöden och kortare patientledtider. Denna studie utfördes på akutmottagningen på Vrinnevisjukhuset i Norrköping. Akutmottagningen har för långa patientledtider på akutmottagningen och speciellt för de patienter som sedan blir inlagda. Syftet med studien var att kartlägga vilka aktiviteter som skapar väntetid i form av en värdeflödesanalys. I och med stora skillnader i inflöde och kapacitet delades dygnet in i fyra intervall, natt, förmiddag, eftermiddag och kväll. Värdeflödena delades även in i patientgrupp hemgående och inlagda för att visa på skillnader i patientledtider. Genom att analyserna värdeflödena utformades förbättringsförslag. Studien visade på flera aktiviteter som skapade väntetid och förlängde patientledtiden. Då vissa aktiviteter påverkades av yttre faktorer och vissa endast av inre faktorer delades förbättringsförslag in i: 1) förbättringsförslag som sker på sjukhuset och 2) förbättringsförslag som sker utanför sjukhuset. Vid yttre förbättringar som kan förbättra patientledtiden föreslås bland annat införande av en lättakut samt förbättrad kommunikation med kommunen. Lättakuten syftar till att avlasta akutmottagningen genom att ta emot patienter med lägre vårdbehov. En förbättrad kommunikation syftar till att frigöra vårdplatser snabbare genom att arbetet med vårdplan kan effektiviseras. Förbättringar som sker inom sjukhuset är bland annat förbättring av bokningssystem för transport och utökad bemanning på bedömningen. Förbättring av bokningssystemet för transport av patienter till avdelning leder till kortare väntetid på akutmottagningen. En utökad bemanning på bedömning skulle leda till kortare väntetid samt att prover kan tas snabbare. Ett stort problem som leder till långa patientledtider är vårdplatsbristen på sjukhusen i Sverige. Antalet vårdplatser kan inte fortsatta att minska utan bör snarare öka för att möta vårdbehovet. Sammanfattningsvis behöver den svenska sjukvården investeras i för att öka patientsäkerheten, minska patientledtider samt för att ge vårdpersonal rimliga arbetsförhållanden.

This dissertation reports the investigation and combination of optimization methodologies and the result of implementing them within a production environment. A literature survey was conducted on the optimization methodologies Lean Manufacturing and theory of constraints (TOC). A number of production optimization methodologies were studied and considered for application to the case study organisation. Due to the small size and relative simplicity of the operation, these methodologies had to be simplified and combined into a more relevant form. A refractory manufacturer was used as a case study for the investigation into the optimization of the dry batch plant. Lean Manufacturing and TOC are optimization methodologies that could be employed to optimize the dry batch plant. Tools from these methodologies were used to investigate problems identified within the production process that were causing the batching plant to perform non-optimally. A time and motion study was conducted and a process flow chart was created to understand the production process. Wasteful activities were identified using a value stream map and a flow process chart was used to visualise the movement within the production process. A 5-Why analysis was conducted to determine the root causes. An optimization plan was created to eliminate the wasteful activities and the operational measures, that is throughput, inventory and operating expense, were used as to determine what the effect the optimization plan would have on the wasteful activities (Lean Manufacturing) found within the batching plant and the organisation. The results of the combined effect of the optimization plan are discussed focusing on the improvements in the operational measures and the increase in profit from sales. Future research is suggested to improve the benchmarking of the optimization plan and any future improvements that the organisation might implement. / MSc (Development and Management Engineering), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2015