The optimization of production has come a long way in the last few years. From having to implement new production philosophies directly into the production, today you can simply build a simulation on the computer that can be used to test new solutions. This makes it cheaper and less time-consuming to improve production. This report will describe the thesis work made by two students from Lulea University of Technology studying mechanical engineering with orientation production technology. The thesis work was made at Boliden MineralsAB during the spring term of 2021. This master thesis aim is to look at the potential of using discrete-event simulation as a tool to test different production philosophies. To do this, a simulation model is built to represent Boliden’s mining operation. The focus will be on the Cut and fill process, and how vehicles and operators are dispatched. From interviews, videos and information gave by Boliden a current state analysis was done to get a good understanding of the situation and how the process works. This combined with a litterateur study a good foundation was made to start building the simulation. Since this is the first time Boliden uses simulation on the cut and fill process in this manner, there’s been close contact with Boliden to validate and verify the models. The different production scenarios that were simulated were selected with the guidance of Boliden to look at the most relevant areas for them. Firstly, a base model was constructed, this model had a number of restrictions compared to the real-life process. With data from previous work that Boliden had with simulation models, the base model could be controlled that it worked properly. From this model others, models could be build-up, with the difference of using another production control philosophy for the simulation. By using these philosophies there could be determined an increase by 1% in productivity when prioritizing operators to the bottleneck of the process to maximize utilization.

Rapporten undersöker hur ett företag kan bibehålla kompetens kopplat mot konkurrensfaktorer vid personalomsättning. Dessutom behandlar rapporten vilka kompetenser som kan behövas för framtidens marknad för svarvningsindustrin. Rapporten utgår från för företaget fyra inflytelserika personer som besitter kritisk kompetens. Att behålla kritisk kompetens för företag behövs för att behålla sin konkurrenskraft. Rapporten tar fram möjliga lösningar för detta. För att ta reda på kompetenserna användes intervjuer med dessa fyra personer kombinerat med en företagsundersökning. Dessa kompetenser ställdes mot de huvudsakliga konkurrensfaktorerna kvalitet, kostnad, leveranssäkerhet och flexibilitet. Detta gav vilka kompetenser som är mest kritiska utifrån konkurrenskraft. För att bibehålla kompetenserna beskrivs ett koncept med inspiration tagit ur Knowledge Management-system, hur det kan användas och vad det syftar till att lösa. Utöver rörs användandet av arbetsteam och ”learn- by-doing”. Knowledge Management-systemet syftar till att vara en långsiktig lösning för att behandla hela företagets kompetenser för att behålla dessa vid personalomsättning. Arbetsteam och ”learn-by-doing” används istället för att lära ut kompetens internt inom företaget och säkerställa kompetens både på kort och lång sikt. Dessa tillvägagångsätt möjliggör inlärning både för de ”tydliga” kompetenserna, som går att definiera och de ”tysta” kompetenserna som bygger på erfarenheter, idéer och värderingar. Framtidens kompetenser diskuterades fram baserad på hur framtidens marknad kan se ut. Baserad på tendenser för marknaden idag kombinerat med EU:s framtidsvisioner togs scenarier fram som lyfte kompetenser som kommer kunna behövas. Förändringarna som lyfts är övergången mot elbilar och industri 4.0. Utifrån dessa förändringar bedöms det vad som kommer behövas för kompetenser för att tillmötesgå dessa förändringar. Nyckelord: kompetens, kunskap, konkurrens, personalomsättning, konkurrensfaktorer, knowledge management, svarvning. / The report investigates how a company can keep their competences from a competitive point of view during staff turnover. The report also processes what competence that will be needed for the turning-industry in the future. The focus for the report is four important employees for the company that possesses critical competences because of their long service. Retaining competence are critical for a company to keep their competitiveness. The report provides possible solutions on this topic. To find out about what the competences are, interview was conducted with the four employees combined with the company’s business plan. The competence that was found were compared to the main competitive factors’ quality, total cost, delivery and flexibility. The comparison showed what competence that were most important in relation to the market. To keep the competence, a concept was made from taking inspiration out of a Knowledge Management-system. Combined with the inspiration from Knowledge Management-system, the importance of working in teams and “learn by doing” were taken into account. Knowledge Management-systems are a long-term solution for the company to keep their competence during staff turnover while teams and “learn by doing” are a combined short-and long-term solution to educate/transfer competence internally. By doing this, both the explicit and tacit competencies can be learned. Explicit competence is what can be written and defined, while the tacit are experiences, practices and values. Competence needed for the future were discussed based on trends for the marked and the vision of the future by the European Union. Examples are industry 4.0 and the change towards electric vehicles. Based on the examples, competence that can be needed were named and discussed to accommodate those changes. Keywords: competence, knowledge, competitiveness, staff turnover, competitive factors, knowledge management, turning industry.

The concept of sustainability is gaining visibility in recent years. Both society and companies are increasing their interest in every of its social, environmental, and economic dimensions. This interest is one of the reasons why the Circular Economy is escalating. One of the goals of this model of production and consumption is waste reduction through the creation of a closed-loop chain, where remanufacturing has a crucial role. Despite the benefits of remanufacturing, this process increases the complexity of the task, limiting access to this job due to the high level of knowledge required. This is the reason why Augmented Reality is presented in this thesis as a method to assist operators by guiding them and providing real-time feedback interactively. The main goal is to increase the efficiency, effectiveness, and accessibility of this task. At the same time, this project aims to contribute to all dimensions of sustainability to a greater or lesser extent. To meet the objectives mentioned above, and keeping in mind the Design Science Research Methodology (DSRM), an artifact is created. The case of study is an assembly operation reproduced in the IRMA-demonstrator in ASSAR Innovation Arena in Skövde (Sweden). A set of Augmented Reality instructions have been designed to guide the operator through the assembly task. First, with the help of the software provided by Microsoft, Dynamics 365 Guides, and afterward, by using Unity. The software is compared, and an attempt is made to justify the implementation of AR, specifically in the remanufacturing assembly task. The results seem to point to a reduction of errors in the operation. Finally, conclusions are extracted based on previous studies and the analysis of the design and implementation of the set of instructions. / <p>Det finns övrigt digitalt material (t.ex. film-, bild- eller ljudfiler) eller modeller/artefakter tillhörande examensarbetet som ska skickas till arkivet.</p>

Detta är en kvalitativ fenomenologisk studie som undersöker kontorsarbetares upplevelser av distansarbetets påverkan på socialt stöd. Studien betraktar förändringar i socialt stöd utifrån tre aspekter: möjligheten att ge stöd till kollegor, möjligheten att söka stöd i arbetet och möjligheten att ta emot stöd i arbetet. Studien ser även hur respondenterna uppfattar att förändringarna har påverkat deras välmående i arbetslivet. Materialet tolkas genom Karaseks och Theorells krav-kontroll-socialt stöd-modellen där socialt stöd delas in i instrumentellt och emotionellt stöd samt riktat och icke-riktat stöd. Studien kommer bland annat fram till att behov kring socialt stöd är mycket individuellt och personer ofta utgår från sina egna behov för att avgöra vilket stöd de anser att andra behöver vilket belyser vikten av dialog kring individuella behov för att skapa förutsättningar för välmående. Studien har även visat att djupa sociala interaktioner inte upplevs påverkas avsevärt av distansarbete men att ytliga sociala interaktioner märkvärt upplevs bli påverkat av distansarbete. Förändringen i ytliga sociala interaktioner påverkar det upplevda välmåendet negativt.

The musculoskeletal disorders have significant health care, social and economic consequences in the factories nowadays. One of the most promising possible solutions is the use of exoskeletons in the workstations. Exoskeletons are assistive wearable robotics connected to the body of a person, which aims to give mechanical power or mobility to the user (Wang, Ikuma, Hondzinski, &amp; de Queiroz, 2017). The objective of this project is to create a realistic CAD model of a passive exoskeleton which will be used in future research to analyse the behaviour of the workers in a virtual environment with and without the exoskeleton. This model will be a virtual representation of the exoskeleton EKSOVest which has been designed to support these workers who have to realize overhead tasks. This virtual representation will be carried out in PTC CREO and exported to IPS IMMA in order to check the viability of this model. To achieve a realistic model, the exoskeleton should have the same characteristics than the real exoskeleton. The objectives of this project will be defined for these characteristics, which are part creation, mechanisms, forces simulation, and parametrization. The parts and the mechanisms will be created and defined in PTC CREO with the same dimensions and behaviour as the real exoskeleton. Furthermore, this report will be focussed mainly in force simulation and the parametrization. The forces of the EKSOVest are generated by two different spring and by a high-pressure spring. To simulate these forces, the equation of these springs will be obtained and introduced in PTC CREO. These equations will be obtained through the regression of a set of points, which will be obtained from the real exoskeleton using a dynamometer. The parametrization will be carried out with the objective to make the virtual model adaptable for every type of mannequins. This parametrization will modify the length of the exoskeleton’s spine bar and the distance between the mechanical arms. These distances will be adapted according to the mannequin’s measures which will be introduced by the user. The measures that have to be introduced by the user are shoulder height, liac spine height, and chest width. In conclusion, it can be said that the regression of the springs obtained are an accurate result which can imitate quite well the forces of this exoskeleton. Furthermore, the results of the parametrization allow the exoskeleton adaptable to any type of dimensions that the mannequin could have. The final model obtained has been exported to IPS IMMA and implemented in a mannequin.

Since the end of 2019 the world have been struck by the virus Covid-19 which have resulted in adjustments around the world such as working from home. Now it’s been over a year since the pandemic started and companies around the world are now wondering what to expect when the restrictions of working home dissolves. The aim of this study is to investigate how managers at the international company Parker Hannifin operating in the manufacturing industry have experienced the conversion of being a leader to become an E-leader due to Covid-19. We also want to investigate which possibilities and limitations managers experience with leading virtual teams. The aim is also to capture their thoughts of what’s important to bring to the future when it comes to continue leading virtual teams. To answer these questions inspiration was found about leadership and E-leadership, leading virtual teams, work-life balance, communication and teleworking. The empirical material in this qualitative study was collected through semi-structured interviews because the purpose of this study was to catch the experiences but also leave room for the respondents to tell more stories about the phenomenon in the interviews. The result shows that our respondents have experienced the conversion into becoming an E- leader easier than they thought. It also shows some disadvantages regarding increased virtual meetings and lack of spontaneous social interactions due to Covid-19. This comes with some challenges for the E-leader to face in the future. In the result some advantages appear such as more effective communication and cooperation. Furthermore, some complements are added into the E-leadership that is necessary to lead virtual teams such as soft values. Our study also discusses that a transformative and situation-based leadership is to prefer in times like these during Covid-19.

Uppsatsen intresserar sig för jämställdhetsarbete samt hur HR-konsulter och chefer upplever relevans, hinder och möjligheter. Vidare så utgår uppsatsen från en fallstudie inom energibranschen. För den teoretiska referensramen har vi använt Joan Ackers teori om könade organisationer och intersektionella perspektiv, samt Moss Kanters forskning inom området kön och organisering. Uppsatsen syftar till att få en ökad förståelse för hur HR-konsulter och chefer inom en manligt dominerad verksamhet upplever relevansen av jämställdhetsarbete. Syftet resulterade i följande frågeställningar. Hur definieras begreppet jämställdhet av respondenterna? Vilka uppfattningar har respondenterna kring jämställdhetsarbete? Vilka hinder och möjligheter upplever HR och chefer kan vara kopplat till jämställdhetsarbetet i deras verksamhet? Uppsatsen har valt att använda sig av en kvalitativ metod med semistrukturerade intervjuer. För studien genomfördes sju semistrukturerade intervjuer med två olika yrkesgrupper där urvalet bestod av ett målstyrt urval samt snöbollsurval. För utgångspunkten i studiens analys användes tematisk analys och för kodningen användes marginalmetoden. I resultatet har citat från de olika intervjuerna lyfts fram och det förs en narrativ dialog kring respondenternas upplevelser. Analysen utgår från en resultatdiskussion och kopplas till den teoretiska referensramen och den tidigare forskningen. I det avslutande kapitlet presenteras flera slutsatser, bland annat att mångfald är ett begrepp som gärna används före begreppet jämställdhet, samt att det löpande arbetet är en nyckel för framgång i jämställdhetsarbete. Däremot upplevs brist på tid och resurser, samt brist på ett balanserat urval i rekryteringsbasen som hinder för jämställdhetsarbetet.

Lean management is considered a key to lead time reduction while being efficient, in order to survive in the actual market. Despite this, there is relatively little research done about implementation of lean management in ETO processes. Knowing that ETO processes are a reality in the industry, because there is a demand of customized products in the market. Nonetheless, the early phases of the ETO processes are critical. The purpose of this study was therefore to investigate how lean management can be used to understand and early phases of ETO processes, in order to evaluate potential lead time reduction. Analysing issues that arise when implementing lean in this kind of processes, such as variety, variation and standardization. The empirical data was collected from two different companies with ETO processes on different stages of lean implementation. A theoretical background in the area is supported by a comparison of the historical development and current state of two companies. The access to these two companies provides a view of the state before lean implementation and during implementation, and also a brief view of the effects. This helps to understand how lean management could be implemented in ETO processes. As a result, this research describes what should be considered when implementing lean management in early phases of ETO processes and what the effect of this implementation could be.

Flexibla arbetsarrangemang är en allt mer vanlig arbetsform idag och sägs generera en god balans mellan privatliv och arbetsliv. Individen får relativt fritt bestämma över tid och rum för utförandet av arbetet vilket även sägs ge högre arbetstillfredsställelse till följd av friheten och förtroendet. I den här studien undersöks flexibelt arbete och i synnerhet upplevelsen av balans mellan privatliv och arbetsliv vilket är en del av studiens syfte. Vidare studeras relationen mellan krav, kontroll och socialt stöd samt på vilket sätt Coronapandemin påverkat respondenternas arbetssituation. Studien baseras på kvalitativa, semistrukturerade intervjuer med ett fenomenologiskt förhållningssätt. Urvalet baserades på sex individer där hälften var kvinnor och hälften män från ett företag inom logistik- och distributionsbranschen. Samtliga innehar ett flexibelt arbete i någon mån. Under kodningen framkom tre huvudteman som dessutom bygger på samma teman som intervjuguiden, tillgänglighet/gränslöshet, krav, kontroll och socialt stöd samt familjesituationen. Dessa tre huvudteman följer genom hela uppsatsen och underbyggs med vissa underteman för att underlätta läsningen. Resultaten visar att respondenterna har höga krav och hög kontroll, de har även ett gott socialt stöd från kollegor och chefer. Respondenterna uppger sig ha en god möjlighet till balans mellan privatliv och arbetsliv just på grund av friheten i arbetet. Vidare har Coronapandemin påverkat respondenterna på det sätt att de numera arbetar hemifrån och är mer isolerade än innan vilket samtliga uppger är en förändring av ett negativt slag. Det blir framförallt svårare med gränsdragningen för vad som är arbete och vad som är fritid när de inte längre lämnar hemmet. Samtliga är även nöjda med sin arbetssituation och ser den som hållbar men det framkommer motsägelser vad gäller detta då arbete kan ske vid udda tider som under semester, kvällar eller sjukdom. Detta uppges dock vara självvalt trots att det inte är de som styr över när mejl eller samtal inkommer. Slutligen visar resultatet på att respondenterna till stor del individualiseras ansvaret för hur mycket och när de arbetar. Arbetsgivarens ansvar lyser i denna fråga med sin frånvaro i respondenternas utsagor.

Material efficiency is a key solution to provide a reduction in the total environmental impact of global manufacturing, which contributes to avoid generating larger volumes of industrial waste, to reduce extracting and consuming ever more resources and to decrease energy demand and carbon emissions. However, the area of material efficiency in manufacturing has been under-researched and related knowledge is limited. The research objective of this thesis is to contribute to the existing body of knowledge regarding material efficiency in manufacturing - to increase understanding, describe the existing situation and develop support for improvement. This thesis focuses on value of process and residual materials in material efficiency: to increase homogenous quality of generated waste with higher segregation rate, decreasing the amount of material becoming waste and reduce total virgin raw material consumption without influencing the function and quality of a product or process. To achieve the objective, material efficiency strategies, existing state of material efficiency in manufacturing and barriers that avert higher material efficiency improvement have been investigated. The results are supported by four structured literature reviews and two [MW1] empirical multiple case studies at large global manufacturing companies in Sweden, mainly automotive. Empirical studies include observations, interviews, waste stream mapping, waste sorting analysis, environmental report reviews and walkthroughs in companies to determine the material efficiency and industrial waste management systems. The empirical results revealed that material efficiency improvement potential of further waste segregation to gain economic and environmental benefits is still high. Determining different waste segments and relative fractions along with calculating material efficiency performance measurements facilitate improvements in material efficiency. In addition to attempts for waste generation reduction, avoiding blending and correct segregation of different waste fractions is an essential step towards material efficiency. The next step is to improve the value of waste fractions i.e. having more specific cost-effective fractions. Waste Flow Mapping proves to be an effective practical tool to be utilized at manufacturing companies in order to check and explore the improvement opportunities. In addition, a number of barriers that hinder material efficiency was identified. The most influential material efficiency barriers are Budgetary, Information, Management and Employees. The majority of identified material efficiency barriers are internal, originate inside the company itself and are dependent upon the manufacturing companies’ characteristics. As a result, management and employees’ attitude, environmental knowledge and environmental motivation, as well as their internal communication and information sharing, and companies’ core value and vision are the enablers for material efficiency improvement. / MEMIMAN / INNOFACTURE - innovative manufacturing development