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  • About
  • The Global ETD Search service is a free service for researchers to find electronic theses and dissertations. This service is provided by the Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations.
    Our metadata is collected from universities around the world. If you manage a university/consortium/country archive and want to be added, details can be found on the NDLTD website.
1

Development of a Tool to Measure the Effectiveness of Kaizen Events within the Wood Products Industry

Erdogan, Sevtap 04 September 2015 (has links)
Kaizen implementation and other continuous improvement practices can be used by companies to lower manufacturing costs and increase product value. Kaizen activities are one way that wood products companies can increase their competitiveness. Being able to measure the effectiveness of Kaizen events is important to factors that contribute to Kaizen effectiveness as well as identifying the success of Kaizen implementation. However, little research has focused on the implementation of Kaizen and other continuous improvement methods within the wood products industry or on the perceptions of employees within this industry regarding either the motivators for, barriers to, and effectiveness of perceptions of Kaizen, or the drivers affecting Kaizen implementation. The goal of this research is to develop a tool to measure the effectiveness of Kaizen and to apply this tool to companies within the wood products industry. To accomplish this research goal, a case study approach was used in examining how two U.S. wood products companies implemented Kaizen and other continuous improvement initiatives and how employees at these companies viewed such implementation. As part of this case study, interviews were conducted with staff in each company and surveys were administered to production and non-production employees at each company. A tool was developed to measure the perceived effectiveness of Kaizen events, and this tool was tested using the survey data were collected from each company. The results from these analyses show statistically significant differences in how production employees across companies viewed the following: motivators related to cost and quality outcomes, as well as the success of other companies, as motivators for Kaizen; and barriers related to middle management, time, money, technology, and poor past experiences. Poor past experience with Kaizen were also viewed significantly differently by production and non-production employees in one of the companies studied. The results also show that perceptions of productivity improvements were the most significant predictor of the perceived effectiveness of Kaizen implementation. These results and the development of a tool to measure Kaizen will help guide and improve future Kaizen and other continuous improvement efforts within the wood products industry and provide insights for future research. / Master of Science
2

Exploring aspects of automation decisions : A study in the Swedish wood products industry

Salim, Roaa January 2017 (has links)
The wood products industry is important to Sweden's prosperity, and is currently facing several challenges by increased global competition. To avoid the gradual decline of the industry’s contribution to the country’s revenues and employment opportunities, the Swedish wood products industry needs to increase the proportion of the raw material that is refined. New and efficient manufacturing technologies are essential to support this development. The implementation of automation in manufacturing needs to be supported by conscious and well-defined strategies. However, currently, there is a lack of knowledge regarding automation decisions in this industry. Therefore, the purpose of this thesis is to increase knowledge regarding which aspects should be taken into account when automation decisions are considered in the wood products industry. Three research questions are addressed: (1) What is the current state of manufacturing operations in the wood products industry? (2) What are the potential opportunities for automation in the wood products industry? And (3) What challenges can arise from automation in the wood products industry? The results presented in this thesis are based on four research papers. The first paper provides an overview of the current state of manufacturing operations in the wood products industry. The second paper examined the impact of the raw material on manufacturing operations in the wood products industry. The third paper assessed how the levels of automation in manufacturing impact operational performance. The fourth paper examined automation opportunities and challenges to gain a better understanding of the reasoning behind automation decisions in the industry. In general, it is concluded that automation decisions in the wood products industry tend to be based on “gut feeling” and previous experience with automation rather than well-defined decisions and strategies. This is due to inadequate knowledge and familiarity with automation technologies in manufacturing. Furthermore, the findings showed that different aspects of manufacturing interact and impact each other. For this reason, it is essential to take into account other aspects of manufacturing when considering automation decisions. / ProWOOD
3

Ekonomická analýza společnosti Dřevoterm, s.r.o. / Economic analysis of the company Dřevoterm, s.r.o.

Androvičová, Adela January 2012 (has links)
Economic analysis investigates certain economic subject by using variety of different economic and mathematical-statistical methods and procedures. In the present work we perform economic analysis of wood producing company Dřevoterm, s.r.o. for the years from 2007 to 2011 based on externally available data. From approaches of economic analysis we use methods of financial analysis including analysis of absolute and relative financial ratios, pyramidal decomposition of financial ratios and global indexes of financial health. Further we analyze net working capital, costs and stocks of the company in detail. Obtained results are discussed in context of theoretically optimum values, average results of the whole wood producing industry and external factors which influenced analyzed company during past years. The results show that despite growing revenues of the company the majority of calculated indicators scored with a worsening trend and the company should focus primarily on reducing cost of revenues.
4

Factors Behind Construction Companies' Purchasing Decisions of Wood Products and Insight into how Local (In-State) Wood Product Suppliers can have a Bigger Market Impact

Pomponi, Joseph Philip 12 January 2021 (has links)
Companies in the construction industry have a wide range of choices of suppliers for the company's needs in building materials. Local (in-state) suppliers within key southern states have issues gaining market share within the construction sectors. Construction companies often outsource their purchase of wood products from a different state or country, which adversely affects the local economy due to not purchasing from in-state or local wood product suppliers. Construction companies are often not aware of local suppliers due to lack of resources or general lack of knowledge. The primary research question of this thesis is: can construction company procurement decisions and supplier selection methods help local wood product suppliers gain more market share within the construction industry? Companies within the states of Georgia, Texas, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Florida, and Virginia were interviewed over the phone and in person to determine how the companies choose the wood product suppliers and what factors impact the purchasing decisions. Key factors included: cost, quality, delivery, flexibility, location, relationship, and payment options. A survey of construction companies was created and conducted after the interviews were concluded. Important factors highlighted by the survey responses included: cost, quality, relationship, and lead time in choosing a supplier. Suppliers were asked to differentiate their products using information the construction companies highlighted as factors they emphasized. Construction companies offered insight into how they purchase wood products, the factors they desire in their suppliers, and how often they purchase in-state. In-state wood product suppliers have an opportunity to gain market share within the construction industry using the factors those construction companies favored in interviews and survey results. / Master of Science / Companies in the construction industry have a wide range of choices of suppliers for the company's needs in building materials. Local (in-state) suppliers within key southern states have issues gaining market share within the construction sectors. Construction companies often outsource their purchase of wood products from a different state or country, which adversely affects the local economy due to not purchasing from in-state or local wood product suppliers. Companies within the states of Georgia, Texas, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Florida, and Virginia were interviewed over the phone and in person to determine how the companies choose the wood product suppliers and what factors impact the purchasing decisions. Key factors included: cost, quality, delivery, flexibility, location, relationship, and payment options. A survey of construction companies was created and conducted after the interviews were concluded. Important factors highlighted by the survey responses included: cost, quality, relationship, and lead time in choosing a supplier. Suppliers were asked to differentiate their products using information the construction companies highlighted as factors they emphasized. In-state wood product suppliers have an opportunity to gain market share within the construction industry using the factors those construction companies favored in interviews and survey results.
5

Consumer attitudes and perceptions towards the use of reclaimed wood

Craig, Mia 13 May 2022 (has links) (PDF)
Reclaimed wood is material salvaged from old, abandoned buildings that offers sustainable living to communities. There have been previous studies on reclaimed wood, but a limited amount linking reclaimed wood to consumerism. In August 2021, an online survey was conducted to gauge consumers’ knowledge of the industry and attitudes on reclaimed wood practices. Consumers are U.S. citizens 18 years of age or older. Study results indicate that respondents have little knowledge regarding reclaimed wood. Of the 1,516 respondents, 44% seem knowledgeable of reclaimed wood. Most respondents are not aware that reclaimed wood is a separate industry. Respondents believe there should be better marketing practices. Respondents also believe reclaimed wood to be environmentally friendly, durable, and aesthetically pleasing. The reasons respondents would purchase reclaimed wood are sustainability, aesthetics, and to exercise a need. Respondents acknowledge the importance of the origin of wood products. Respondents also acknowledge the importance of the industry.
6

Exploring design-driven innovation : A study on value creation by SMEs in the Swedish wood products industry

De Goey, Heleen January 2017 (has links)
Design-driven innovation, focused on the innovation of product meanings, provides a new perspective to better understand the contribution of design to innovation. Additionally, it enables new opportunities for value creation. At small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the Swedish wood products industry there is a need for such new value creation in order to remain competitive. However, design-driven innovation is not yet common in this context. Furthermore, there is little research on the innovation of product meanings focused on value creation. Therefore, the aim of this research is to explore value creation through design-driven innovation, in the context of SMEs in the Swedish wood products industry. This research addresses what value might be expected from design-driven innovation, as well as what enables and hinders this value creation.  To address the aim, three studies have been conducted which are described in four appended papers. The studies consist of one systematic literature review and two case studies. The findings demonstrate that design-driven innovation contributes to value creation by focusing on product meanings, which intentionally addresses both tangible and intangible needs and therefore increases the perceived value of products. This research identified five facets of design-driven innovation which provide a structure to discuss what enables and hinders value creation. These are: (1) understanding new product meanings, (2) knowledge generation, (3) actors and collaborations, (4) capabilities, and (5) process. The facets can be seen as the origin of both enablers and barriers to value creation through design-driven innovation, depending on how they are addressed. Moreover, this research suggests that whether or not value is created is further influenced by the SMEs, their networks and the context in which they operate.
7

Lean Management: Awareness, Implementation Status, and Need for Implementation Support in Virginia's Wood Industry

Fricke, Christian 12 January 2011 (has links)
During the last decades, the U.S. wood products (NAICS 321) and furniture manufacturing (NAICS 337) industries have been greatly affected by economic cycles, rising production and transportation costs, changing buyer habits, and, arguably, most powerfully, increasing global competition. As a result, tens of thousands of jobs were lost and a large number of companies in the industry experienced bankruptcy, closed operations, or relocated to other countries. However, theories exist stating that the use of management systems, such as, for example, Lean management, allows companies to become more competitive and enhance the likelihood of survival. A mail survey was conducted to investigate companies in Virginia's wood products and furniture manufacturing industries as to their awareness of Lean management, the implementation of Lean practices, as well as the companies' need for support in Lean implementation efforts. Findings indicate that a majority of Virginia's wood products and furniture manufacturing industries have heard about terms like, for example, Lean management, Lean manufacturing, or Lean thinking, but are rarely aware of individual Lean elements of which Lean consists. Few businesses thus have implemented Lean. However, findings show that Lean awareness and Lean implementation status differs between individual industry sub-segments. The group of industry segments with the highest Lean awareness and Lean implementation status were "engineered wood products," "manufactured homes," and "household furniture manufacturing," as opposed to industry sub-segments such as "sawmill" and "wood container and pallets," which had lower Lean awareness and Lean implementation status. The study also revealed that smaller companies (less than 50 employees) have a lower level of Lean awareness and implementation status than do larger companies (50-499 employees). Despite the low level of Lean implementation across the wood products and furniture manufacturing industry in Virginia, less than one-fourth of all respondents indicated a need for Lean implementation support. / Master of Science
8

Effekten av demand-supply chain management : Fallstudie från trävaruindustrin

Lehnbom, Mia, Holmberg, Patrik January 2015 (has links)
Enligt Carlsson och Rönnqvist (2005) och Frayret et al. (2007) blir det allt viktigare att arbeta med supply chain management inom trävaruindustrin. En utmaning är att finna ett arbetssätt för att hantera variationen i kundens efterfrågan. Idag hanteras variationen oftast genom onödigt stor lagerhållning (Lee et al., 1997b; So och Zheng, 2003).                                                                                 Syftet med studien är att utreda påverkande faktorer som bidrar till en varierande efterfrågan inom trävaruindustrin samt föreslå hur uppkomsten av dessa kan undvikas. För att svara på syftet har tre frågeställningar tagits fram och en fallstudie genomfördes på ett hyvleri. Informationsinsamlingen har skett genom intervjuer av anställda från olika avdelningar samt litteraturstudier. Studien visar att det finns flera utmaningar när det är stor variation på efterfrågan såsom brist på tillgång till prognoser och kommunikationsbrist med kunder. Det medför att planeringen av råvaruåtgången försvåras och det leder till svårigheter att uppnå leveransprecision.   Slutsatsen visar att de påverkande faktorer som bidrar till en varierad efterfrågan är prisvariationer, orderstorlek och orderfrekvens. Prisvariationer kan undvikas genom ABC-indelning av produkterna utifrån produktefterfrågan. Prognoser underlättar uppskattning av efterfrågan men för ett fungerande prognosarbete krävs samsyn, nära relation samt god kommunikation mellan kund och leverantör. Problem med orderstorlek och orderfrekvens kan reduceras om kunden får avgöra orderstorleken utan att specifika krav måste uppfyllas. Slutsatsen visar även att faktorer såsom väderlek, trender, mode, helgdagar och rotavdragets eventuella försvinnande påverkar variationen i efterfrågan. / According to Carlsson & Rönnqvist (2005) and Frayret et al. (2007) supply chain management in the wood products industry is getting more important. One of the challenges is to find a way to deal with customer’s fluctuating demand. Traditional solution to handle fluctuating demand is large inventory (Lee et al., 1997b; So & Zheng, 2003), which causes often high inventory cost for effective supply chain management.   The aim of the study is to investigate factors that affect a fluctuating demand in the wood products industry and suggest how to reduce the fluctuating demand through related factors analysis in order to improve Demand-Supply chain management efficiency. For this pursose, a case study on a planing is conducted. To collect data, interviews with employees from different departments have been made along with literature studies. The study presents that there are many challenges for the fluctuation demand such as lack of forecasts and lack of communication with customers. This, in turn, will cause problems with planning of the raw material as well as difficulties to deliver the goods on time.   The conclusion shows that the factors affecting a fluctuating demand are price variations, the orders batch size and order frequency. Price variations can be improved by ABC classification of the products by product demand. Forecasts will make the estimation of demand easier, although, in order to use forecasts properly a joint vision, close relationships and good communication with customer and supplier is required. Problems regarding batch size and order frequency can be reduced if the customer is allowed to decide the batch size with no specific requirements. The study also shows that factors such as weather, trends, fashion, holidays and disappearance of ROT work affects the fluctuating demand.
9

Lean Manufacturing: Setup Time Reduction in Secondary Wood Manufacturing Facilities in North America

Kucuk, Enis 28 June 2016 (has links)
Since the emergence and the subsequent evolution of lean manufacturing concepts, numerous enterprises of different scale and specialties have adopted lean tools and techniques in their facilities with varying success. In general, lean manufacturing related studies have been conducted on large manufacturing firms, such as the automotive industry. Yet, lean manufacturing tools and techniques are also suited for small enterprises. Thus, the main concern of this study is to investigate the success of set-up time reduction efforts (one of the steps needed to achieve 'one-piece flow') in secondary wood products manufacturing facilities on four woodworking machines (moulder, shaper, table saw, and band saw) based on firm size. The first objective of this research is to explore the results of the implementation of set-up time reduction efforts on selected woodworking machines in enterprises of varying size. It is assumed that company size is a major factor influencing the rate of set-up time improvements. To that end, the first hypothesis, which states that 'Small firms are less successful in reducing set-up time through set-up time reduction efforts than are large firms,' has been developed and supportive questions have been corresponding created. While statistical testing of the hypotheses created for this is not possible due to the limited number of participants, speculations about the possible outcome can be made. Thus, for hypothesis one, the data obtained does not show any sign of a relationship between a firm size and the success rate of set-up time reduction efforts. The second objective of this study is to investigate how a firm's productivity is affected by set-up time reduction efforts as related to firm size. With regards to some of the weaknesses of typical small manufacturing firms (e.g. having limited budget and resources, intuitive management strategies including lack of strategic planning), large firms, by and large, are expected to be more successful in increasing productivity through set-up time reduction. To that end, the goal is to investigate results of the set-up time reduction efforts in terms of productivity improvement in manufacturing facilities. With this in mind, the second hypothesis was proposed, which reads 'Small firms achieve lower productivity gains through set-up time reduction than do large firms.' For the second hypothesis, while no conclusive proof can be offered, no sign of a relationship between firm size and productivity gain through set-up time reduction could be found. Another objective of this study is to explore the success rate of set-up time activities on the four types of woodworking machines in industry facilities considering the training activities provided by manufacturers. The aim is to compare set-up time improvement performance of manufacturers between enterprises which trained their workers/operators and enterprises which did not train their employees. To understand the relationship between the scale of firms (and/or facilities) and training activities to improve set-ups, the third hypothesis, which reads 'Small firms are less concerned with set-up time reduction through training than are large firms,' has been developed. For the third hypothesis, while testing is not possible, it appears that there is no relationship between firm size and the level of concern for set-up time reduction through training activities. The final objective of this research is to investigate whether the secondary wood manufacturing firms studied experienced a bottleneck in their production due to the long set-up actions of machines. In order to accomplish this objective, the final hypothesis, 'In both, large and small firms, bottlenecks occur at machines with high set-up times,' has been developed. The final hypothesis cannot be accepted or rejected due to the limited number of responses obtained, set-up time was a frequently indicated explanation for the occurrence of production bottlenecks in secondary wood products manufacturing firms. / Master of Science
10

DEVELOPMENT AND VALIDATION OF A VERSATILE AND INNOVATIVE TOOL TO ASSESS AND BENCHMARK SUSTAINABILITY PERFORMANCE OF ORGANIZATIONS AND SUPPLY CHAINS

Cagatay Tasdemir (6580142) 10 June 2019 (has links)
<a>Global trends and factors, such as the increased level of globalization, climate change, resource scarcity, and awareness of social and environmental responsibilities, as well as fiercer competition and lower profit margins in all industries, force organizations to act to retain, regain, or sustain their competitive advantages for long-term survival. These trends and factors are historically known to bring about innovations that drive the evolution of industries. Sustainability is considered to be such an innovation to achieve fiscally sound, environmentally conscious, and socially progressive organizations and supply chains. Sustainable Development and Sustainability notions are among trending topics of 21st century. Elevated sustainability concerns of various stakeholders have been forcing members of all industries to evolve into their more environmentally and socially responsible versions. This study was initiated through a comprehensive literature review phase that reviewed 477 articles published in five major databases from 1990 to 2018. The purpose of this review was to assess the current state-of-the art on the subject of lean-driven sustainability. Based on descriptive and contextual analysis, synergies, divergences, and the extent of two-way permeability of lean and sustainability concepts from the perspective of intra- and inter-organizational operations were identified along with future research opportunities. Fundamental strengths and weaknesses of both concepts, existing strong synergies and untapped potential, along with their key contributors, the potential-use cases of lean tools to derive sustainable solutions are highlighted in this review. Next, based on the findings of systematic literature review, an innovative, holistic, versatile and scalable tool was developed to assess and benchmark sustainability performance of organizations and supply chains. The proposed framework was established upon trivet structure of Triple Bottom Line philosophy and fueled by Lean, Six-Sigma and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodologies for accurate and effective measurement of sustainability performance. Completeness of the framework was ensured through development of first-generation Key Performance Indicator (KPI) pool with 33 indicators, a unique work environment assessment mechanism for safety and environmental protection issues in terms of 11 risk categories and by construction of an ownership structure for ease of framework deployment. Proposed framework is expected to help with true sustainability performance improvement and benchmarking objectives at a range of business levels from facility to sectoral operations. Upon completion of the development phase, the Sustainability Benchmarking Tool (SBT) Framework was validated at the facility level within the context of value-added wood products manufacturing. Strengths and weaknesses of the system were identified within the scope of Bronze Frontier maturity level of the framework and tackled through a six-step analytical and quantitative reasoning methodology. The secondary objective of the validation phase was to document how value-added wood products industries can take advantage of natural properties of wood to become frontiers of sustainability innovation. In the end, True Sustainability performance of the target facility was improved by 2.37 base points, while economic and environmental performance was increased from being a system weakness to achieving an acceptable index score benchmark of 8.41 and system strength level of 9.31, respectively. Social sustainability score increased by 2.02 base points as a function of better gender bias ratio. The financial performance of the system improved from a 33% loss to 46.23% profit in the post-improvement state. Reductions in CO<sub>2</sub> emissions (55.16%), energy consumption (50.31%), solid waste generation (72.03%), non-value-added-time (89.30%) and cost performance (64.77%) were other significant achievements of the study. In the end, SBT Framework was successfully validated at the facility level and target facility evolved into its leaner, cleaner and more responsible version of itself. Furthermore, manufacturing industries of all sorts are key stakeholders, which rely on universities to satisfy the demand for competent workforce. Society also expects universities to educate youth and contribute to their self-development by achieving both, scientific and intellectual knowledge saturation. To expand the contribution of the study to the body of knowledge in the fields of Sustainability and Modern Management techniques, an undergraduate level course curriculum that integrates modern management techniques and sustainability concepts with wood products industry dynamics was developed. Students’ pre- and post-education awareness of, and familiarity with sustainability, potential consequences of ignored sustainability issues, modern management techniques, global trends, innovation waves, and industry evolution were compared through a seventeen-question survey. Results showed that course content was successful at increasing sustainability awareness at both overall and individual sustainability pillar levels, At the end, 100% of students were able to develop complete understanding of various modern management techniques and stated that they felt confident to apply learnt skills to real life issues within their profession upon graduation. Overall, this study empirically documented how synergies between Lean, Sustainability, Six-Sigma and Life Cycle Assessment concepts outweigh their divergences, demonstrated viability of SBT Framework and presented a proven example of modern management techniques powered transdisciplinary sustainability curriculum.</a>

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