Product deletion is the end of a product’s life cycle, when it ceases to be produced and is removed from the portfolios of those companies which used to sell them. This project seeks to depict how product deletion is done by manufacturers in Sweden. Product deletion is a scarcely studied subject, which leads to problems such as shortage of existing literature and disconnectedteachings from different perspectives, making the formation of a complete picture problematic.What seems to unify the literature is that product deletion is a valuable tool that is not well enough explored. Through qualitative, semi-structured interviews with representatives from three different companies, a depiction of the relevant aspects of product deletion is formed as it is today. Some aspects were consistent between sources, while others highlighted differences. The similarities were many and considered to strengthen one another as well as the existing literature. The differences were seen as an opportunity for discussion and further studies. The sources agreed that product deletion is of high priority to the operation of a manufacturer. Each participating company therefore spent significant resources to ensure an effective product deletion process. Relevant experience, combined with monetary calculations are highly prized as the backbone of the process. The companies, as well as existing literature, also describe a divide between faster and slower decisions for product deletion. Products which were deemed more important took longer time and more careful consideration before a decision was made than product which occupied less of the company’s focus. Intersections between the groups were rare, showing a clear polarization.Product deletion regularly occurs in tandem with, or as a consequence of, product development. When a new product is made it often replaces an old one, meaning the total product range rarely grows or shrinks in size. Other possible driving forces for product deletion are legal regulations, which might prohibit certain products. Product deletion typically starts as a relatively informal process initiated by monetary calculations and are later applied practically in a more structuredand systematic manner. Preserving investments made in the deleted product and using them for future operations is the primary focus. Considerable contrast was seen in the relationship with product deletion, the level of standardization and how the process has changed historically for each company. Two companies viewed product deletion mainly as a mellow subject and a symptom of error, while the third considered it a great tool for improving their work. This third company also had the most standardized process for product deletion of the three. However, historically, each company had an entirely different development of the process. The clearest possible conclusion would be that each industry, company, and product is unique and needs to be treated as such when considering product deletion. It also seems that companies are not allocating enough resources to product deletion in general. To further our understanding of product deletion a more comprehensive consensus is needed, as well as a clear distinction between meaningful parameters which makes up the holistic understanding of the subject. Through a combination of quantitative and qualitative methodology, each such parameter should be examined in relation to one another. Examples of such parameters could be the different stages of product deletion, quantitative parameters of the product or manufacturer or the culture, structure or relationships of the companies involved. In short, a tighter focus with a wider sample range could give experts on the subject the details they need to construct and refine it.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:UPSALLA1/oai:DiVA.org:mdh-66069 |
| Date | January 2023 |
| Creators | Baronowsky, Samuel |
| Publisher | Mälardalens universitet, Akademin för innovation, design och teknik |
| Source Sets | DiVA Archive at Upsalla University |
| Language | Swedish |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Student thesis, info:eu-repo/semantics/bachelorThesis, text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Rights | info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
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