Customer Demand Uncertainty is a big obstacle for companies to sustain their competitiveness in the market that responding customer requirements becomes essential. Besides companies need to consider also their cost structures which should have in high consistency to survive as well. Lean and Agile terminologies have been investigated so far in cost and responsiveness to customer manner within internal system perspective i.e. product volume and variety. This thesis aims to link lean manufacturing steps with customer demand uncertainty condition following information systems, marketing issues and human factor for management level in framework that firm’s (manufacturer) current condition can be tested according to answers from questionnaires and implementation of assessment tables since it is used as guideline and provides on which level firms are in demand uncertainty, lean and agile manufacturing. This support enables to firms to create their own flexible leagile decoupling point according to their interior characteristics and capabilities in the market.

An activity decomposition methodology with theoretical foundation in the principles of activity control and stated focus of interest in the enterprise value-chain is presented. Characteristics of inputs and outputs are discussed, where a set of non-transformable inputs are defined and motivated. An integrated partial efficiency measure is formulated, compensating for some weaknesses of the Debreu-Farrell technical efficiency concept. Providing a coherent basis for productivity analysis, the IPE approach poses an alternative to e.g. DEA especially in the case of multi-level systems and sparse data. The method is easily communicable in terms of measurement and analysis, and may be extended to complement economic performance assessments and benchmarks.

A multi-criteria formulation for continuous and discrete-time dynamic systems is presented. The fundamental problem in the design of dynamic systems is the trade-off between response speed (e.g., the time to reach final value and the raise time) and response smoothness (e.g., the overshoot, the undershoot, and the transient dampening). Separate optimisation of criteria is impossible, thus the problem is inherently multiobjective. In a general dynamic system, this is accomplished by adjusting a number of technical parameters in accordance with some ad hoc practice. Previous multi-criteria approaches have been modelled as weighted sums of criteria, with shortcomings in terms of sensitivity analysis and preference articulation. The proposed framework enables the decision maker to design a most preferred system, with full knowledge of local trade-off ratios in terms of chosen criteria. Combining analytical techniques with simulation, the formulation makes the optimisation process transparent to the decision maker, working entirely in decision space. The framework is demonstrated on a dynamic production-inventory model.

The paper presents a case study investigating critical factors affecting production ramp-up. The study was performed in an assembly line of a medium-size Swedish manufacturing company. The context and performance during ramp-up was analyzed. Empirical findings indicate that ramp-up performance depends to a large extent on how earlier phases of the product realization process have been carried out. Specifically, supplier choice, relationships with suppliers, involvement of personal, verification of the match between product and process, resource allocation for critical processes, as well as training of assembly personnel seem to have major impact on performance during production ramp-up.

The aim of this paper is to describe how performance measurement of production ramp-up has been dealt with so far, and to suggest improvements in the measurement procedure. A performance measurement framework supporting production ramp-up evaluation is proposed. Based on the results from both theoretical and empirical studies it can be concluded that ramp-up complexity, ramp-up preparations and activities performed during ramp-up highly influences the production ramp-up performance. When evaluating production ramp-up by comparing actual versus planned performance no information regarding how the objectives were met is given. This also means that no information on what to improve in the ramp-up process is achieved. To enable this information from a performance evaluation of a ramp-up it is therefore essential that ramp-up complexity, ramp-up preparations and activities performed during ramp-up considered. This in turn also means that it is important to identify measures for these areas.

To compete as a manufacturer in today’s environment, with severe competition an rapidly decreasing product life cycles, the ability to manage production ramp-up successfully has become a vital issue. It’s evident when reviewing previous research that knowledge and skills about how to manage a production ramp-up often is lacking. Consequently this means a lack of comprehensiveness which often results in inferior ramp-up management. The intention when managing a production ramp-up strategy is to facilitate decisions that lead to best possible usage of time, financial means and resources when trying to meet preset ramp-up performance targets. In order to accomplish this some sort of production ramp-up management framework needs to be in place. In this paper a proposal for a production ramp-up management framework is suggested. This framework is meant to be a support when deciding upon a new, existing or a combination of production ramp-up strategies to carry out a production ramp-up. The framework suggests that the changes needed in the manufacturing strategy content, critical factors affecting the production ramp-up and previous production ramp-up evaluation should guide when choosing production ramp-up strategy.

Purpose – To present the outcome from one case study in the EU project grEEEn (Cost Management System for greening Electrical and Electronic Equipment). The study addressed the material shift in printed wiring boards (PWBs), from the traditional FR4 material containing halogenated flame retardants to halogen-free FR4 materials.

Design/methodology/approach – The paper presents by way of introduction the grEEEn method. From the product, process and scenario modelling the results from the analysis of cost, environmental profile and legal compliance are presented and discussed.

Findings – It was found that the shift to the halogen-free material leads to a slight increase in environmental burden. However, the shift to a halogen-free material could mean that toxic substances are eliminated or reduced resulting in an overall improvement of the environmental performance. The shift causes an increase in cost ranging between nearly zero and 10 ? per PWB panel.

Originality/value – The paper presents results from the first study on the shift from FR4 material containing halogenated flame retardants to halogen-free FR4 materials and comprises an analysis of the economic, environmental and legislative implications.

Isaberg-Rapid has problems with their internal material handling. The goal with this report is to create a layout for a pilot group in the production. Furthermore will appropriate carriers be suggested and the way of communicate between the stock keeping unit through coating to the assembly group will be analyzed.

The focal point is on a pilot group where the assembly of staple guns occurs. We have reviewed the material handling in the pilot group. By doing a spaghetti diagram the assemblers’ movements in the group is being analyzed and from that a new layout is proposed that will facilitate the handling of material in the assembly group.

Besides the spaghetti diagram the report is based on observations, interviews, a process flow schedule, a layout flow schedule and calculations.

To make the material flow to the assembly group more effective a proposal with a supermarket has been developed. The reason for using a supermarket is also to minimize tied up capital after coating. The transportation of material is handled by a dedicated material handler to minimize the interruptions in work for the assemblers.

The carriers that are used in the assembly group has been reviewed and to easily handle these a proposal with FIFO lines has been developed to make it easier for the assemblers.

Due to the increasingly competitive climate, the on-the-job behaviour of an operator becomes more and more essential for the success of a manufacturing company.  In working contexts, which are dominated by changes and uncertainty, knowledge-based behaviour and work role aspects that cannot be formalized, proactive behaviour of the operator can contribute to competitive advantages.

Without waiting to be asked or instructed, the proactive operator uses his/her own initiative to change the present situation in the light of anticipated future demands and needs. In order to obtain and support proactive behaviour among operators on the shop floor, access to correct and essential information at the right time and in the right way is one important requirement. Hence, the objective of this thesis is to analyse information requirements in order to provide a basis for information interface design that supports a proactive behaviour of assembly operators.

A system approach was adopted and the foundation for this thesis is an extensive literature review. Further, an empirical case study was performed at a Swedish manufacturing company. The case study was analysed using work domain analysis and the purpose of this case study was to investigate the information used in an assembly work setting to accomplish various activities related to proactive behaviour. The result of this thesis is a synthesis of the information requirements found in the literature study and the empirical findings.

The thesis argues that the ability of the assembly operator to anticipate and plan for changes is highly dependent on what information to provide and when to present this information to the assembly operator. Both operational information and information related to the development of the assembly work setting are required to enable proactive behaviour of the assembly operator. When analysing the empirical findings in relation to the information requirements stated in literature, it was found that proactive behaviour of operators is, above all, related to access to why and what information. How-related information, however, can also be relevant for the proactive assembly operator if it relates to knowledge-based behaviour. Additionally, the expertise of the assembly operator refers to the control behaviour performed by the operator and determines the amount of information needed by the assembly operator. Finally, for information to be experienced as useful by the operator, it has to fulfil various criteria determining information quality. The thesis concludes that by analysing the type and amount of information to be presented to the assembly operator, and how to orchestrate information in a systematic way, it is possible to change the assembly operator from a passive monitor to an active problem solver.

In today’s turbulent environment, manufacturing companies are forced to efficiently change or develop production systems that are robust and dynamic enough to handle changing production situations during its entire life-cycle. To achieve such a production system requires a structured development process that should be carried out simultaneously to the product development process and considers the company’s product portfolio. Within a structured development process, the requirements specification of the proposed system is vital since it will guide the design process and the evaluation of the system on a conceptual as well as a detailed level.  The aim of this paper is to address the requirement specification process that covers all aspects of the production system to be designed. This paper argues for the need of a holistic view in the requirement specification process of production systems. A holistic view of the overall process will facilitate to manage the various demands and categories important to deal with in the specification of requirements. Based on the holistic view it will be possible to identify the gates and stakeholders of the process itself, but also the substantial content of this process map.

Proactive behaviour of an assembly operator can be essential in a complex and uncertain work context, where it is not longer possible to anticipate and predefine all possible work situations an operator has to handle. Access to correct and essential information is a critical means to support proactive behaviour. This paper clarifies information requirements of a proactive assembly work setting by analysing the information needed of an assembly operator to anticipate and prepare the work system for external and internal changes. The results show that proactive behaviour is above all related to the access to information answering why and what-questions. Additionally, the expertise of the assembly operator refers to the control behaviour performed by the operator and determines the amount of information needed by the assembly operator. Finally, for information to be experienced as useful by the operator, it has to fulfil various criteria determining information quality.

Information is a critical factor to support a proactive behaviour of operators in complex work settings characterized by flexible levels of automation and need for knowledge-based decision making. In this conceptual paper the authors define proactive behaviour as the ability of operators to control a situation by taking action in advance. Information requirements that enable proactivity and different control behaviour are identified. Moreover, several demands on the information support system are outlined. Further, the paper presents some implications for management as a result of the new work role of the operator regarding decision making, planning, and control.

To be able to retain the manufacturing industry durably, in Europe in general and in Sweden in specific, manufacturing companies have to be competitive also on the global market. One way for companies to realize this ambition is to interact with suppliers and customers in different kinds of supply chains. In the dyadic relation between two companies, three different levels of interaction have been identified. To be able to enhance the competitiveness instead of requiring excess workload, the level of interaction has to be adequate for the specific company and their market conditions.

The aim of this thesis is to clarify the characteristics of supply chain interaction, both in terms of different levels of interaction and concerning the factors affecting the appropriate level of interaction. A basic prerequisite to enable companies to select an appropriate level of interaction within their supply chain is also to clarify the present use of terminology.

This research is conducted through theoretical studies. The theoretical findings are synthesized in order to fulfill the research objective.

Characteristics of supply chain interaction in terms of affecting categories and factors are identified. The factors are sorted according to the category they support. An interaction framework that can be used to gain an overview over the categories and factors affecting the level of interaction in a specific situation is developed.

The resulting interaction framework is aiming at industry applicability but is based only on theoretical studies (which in turn are based on empirical data).

The aim is to support the interaction level decision for, primarily, small and medium sized manufacturing companies in order to increase their competitiveness.

Despite the amount of research within the supply chain area, the question how companies should select the way to interact within their supply chain has so far been left unanswered. In this thesis, a number of categories and factors that affects the appropriate level of interaction are identified and listed.

The aim of the mobile manufacturing concept is to provide solutions for mobile and flexible manufacturing capacity on demand. The idea with the concept is that a mobile manufacturing unit (MMU) could sent to the place where it is needed, either within the company, to a local supplier, to a customer, or to a partner, in order to, for example, cover a temporary volume peak.

Within the research project Factory-in-a-Box, five fully operative MMUs have been designed and realized in close contact with Swedish manufacturing industries. The main logistic focus within the research project has been put on optimizing the transport solutions, while the implications on the relations in the supply chain have still not been analyzed. It is however, important to clarify that the geographical and organizational distance between the stationary site and the site where the MMU temporarily is located, affects the complexity of the information and material flow. In order to secure MMU productivity, both information and material flow to and from the stationary factory, the stationary factory’s sub-suppliers, the local suppliers, and the customer, must be handled.

In order to use the MMU’s resources efficiently, the level of interaction with all these actors has to be selected wisely. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to investigate the information flow and material flow in one of the demonstrators within the Factory-in-a-Box project, in order to highlight the importance of selecting appropriate level of interaction and how mobility affects the supply chain relations.

The aim of the mobile manufacturing concept is to provide solutions for mobile and flexible manufacturing capacity on demand. The idea with the concept is that a mobile manufacturing unit (MMU) could sent to the place where it is needed, either within the company, to a local supplier, to a customer, or to a partner, in order to, for example, cover a temporary volume peak.

Within the research project Factory-in-a-Box, five fully operative MMUs have been designed and realized in close contact with Swedish manufacturing industries. The main logistic focus within the research project has been put on optimizing the transport solutions, while the implications on the relations in the supply chain have still not been analyzed. It is however, important to clarify that the geographical and organizational distance between the stationary site and the site where the MMU temporarily is located, affects the complexity of the information and material flow. In order to secure MMU productivity, both information and material flow to and from the stationary factory, the stationary factory’s sub-suppliers, the local suppliers, and the customer, must be handled.

In order to use the MMU’s resources efficiently, the level of interaction with all these actors has to be selected wisely. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to investigate the information flow and material flow in one of the demonstrators within the Factory-in-a-Box project, in order to highlight the importance of selecting appropriate level of interaction and how mobility affects the supply chain relations.

Olika aspekter på samverkan har rönt stor uppmärksamhet under de senaste årtiondena men har endast i begränsad omfattning integrerats med centrala produktions- och logistikstrategiska beslutskategorier. Ett område som till stor del varit frånvarande i forskningen om kund/leverantörssamverkan är kopplingen till olika grader av kundorderstyrning. Sedan länge har graden av kundorderstyrning ansetts som ytterst central i utformningen av strategier för produktions- och logistiksystem men har trots detta sällan inkluderats i olika modeller för val av grad av samverkan mellan företag. Denna brist på samordning av två så viktiga kunskapsdomäner innebär att avgörande pusselbitar troligen saknas i kunskapen om hur konkurrenskraftig industriell verksamhet bedrivs i samverkan. Dessa två perspektiv har stor påverkan på utformning av både produkter och logistiksystem. Om man dessutom beaktar den snabba förändringstakten på dagens marknader och den dynamik som då skapas så finns det mycket starka motiv för att säkerställa att rätt grad av samverkan med andra parter i försörjningsnätverket etableras för att kunna hantera de osäkerheter som finns om marknadens behov.

This paper reports results of an investigation conducted to explore the status of Mass Customization in the mobile telephone industry and its implications for assembly operations. The study focused on the manufacture of two representative mobile telephone models at Sweden's Ericsson. The findings include the level of variety and customization in each model, where in the value chain this differentiation was implemented, and how it was conceptually, methodologically and technologically enabled. The analysis, aided by several frameworks from the literature, points to a changing role for assembly in this industry, and suggests research direction to meet future customized manufacturing challenges.

This paper reports results of an investigation conducted to explore the status of Mass Customization in the mobile telephone industry and its implications for assembly operations. The study focused on the manufacture of two representative mobile telephone models at Sweden's Ericsson. The findings include the level of variety and customization in each model, where in the value chain this differentiation was implemented, and how it was conceptually, methodologically and technologically enabled. The analysis, aided by several frameworks from the literature, points to a changing role for assembly in this industry, and suggests research direction to meet future customized manufacturing challenges.

It is important for small and medium-sized corporations to collaborate in networks in order to develop capacity, capability, and competence to perform product development and become suppliers of complete systems. The purpose of this study is to identify barriers and to develop an analytical framework of inter-organizational collaboration in network settings. In this paper we present a tentative four-dimensional framework in terms of surface of integration, scope of integration, time horizon of integration, and intensity of integration. This framework can be used to analyze how network settings are developed, in terms of structural design of the network, the design of the workflow in collaborative settings, and the aspects of handling the psychological and social boundaries between people.

In order to handle increased competition small and medium sized companies are collaborating in networks, strategic alliance, or partnership etc. The purpose of this paper is to investigate how direction and accountability is handled in network settings. The authors have performed an extensive case study of one collocated network consisting of four independent companies. This networking has enabled the companies to accept larger customer orders than no single company could handle on their own. It has also made them capable of reaching a high level of adaptation to customer demands regarding development, manufacturing, delivery, and support of the complete product. The high level of inter-company integration has created conditions for the network to develop self-organizing characteristics in terms of autopoietic and sympoietic systems. While the first focuses on the relations between companies within the network, the second focuses on relations between the network and the environment. This self-organizing approach is based on strategic conversation between companies at all organizational levels and participation of managers as well as engineers in the design of inter-and intra-organizational structures and processes. In self-organizing systems direction comes from closeness to customers and strategic dialogue between management and engineers and accountability is a consequence of high level of situational visibility and information exchange on all hierarchical levels among companies in this network.

Automotive industry faces two major problems. One is to develop standard platforms to reach high volumes and low cost. The other is to use platforms for enabling variation of models that suit customer needs, local market demands, and restrictions. Platform thinking embraces several industrial levels, systems integrators, global and local suppliers, and markets. How can the dualism between standardization of components and model variation be managed and which trade-offs need to be made?

In this paper we have identified and analyzed different approaches to platform concept from technical as well as organizational, production, and product development perspectives. Platform technology improves flexibility in production and product development. However, when radical changes are made, new design of platform is not easily made, i.e. propagation of requirements and changes in models vs. platforms. When this happens, several production systems have to be entirely rebuilt causing major capital investments, redesign at suppliers etc. Hence, platform technology reduces product development flexibility.

Many organisations cooperate with customers and integrate in various ways to create further operational synergy and to reduce uncertainty in demand. Supply chain integration offers the opportunity to capture synergies and there are many advantages for organisations that integrate into networks of customers (and suppliers). Sharing of information between organisations makes it possible for a supplier to obtain early signals about changing market conditions and thereby reduce its reliance on uncertain forecasts on the demand side to get a higher utilization of production facilities and lower safety stocks. However, there are also opposite drivers of uncertainties seen from a subcontractor’s perspective, e.g. smaller customer structure that increases dependency. The optimal strategy is to balance these drivers. The aim of this paper is to observe risk and uncertainties inside the transactional environment from a subcontractor’s perspective. The paper gives a theoretical framework and observations from industry

This paper concentrates on risk management in order fulfilment processes in dyadic relationships. “Risk” in this context means the possibility of a negative outcome of any real capital investments from the point of an order acceptance. A number of risk factors that might be of importance for a negative outcome as well as the basic concepts of managing risks in dyadic relationships are identified from a risk management and transaction cost theory perspective. Furthermore, perceived risk factors a number and their active and passive management are discussed. The results show that the risk strategy towards new customers is to avoid some of the risk factors while the same factors are minimized through various mitigation efforts while dealing with established customers.

When risk management is mentioned in the general rhetoric of supply chain management, a high level of sharing of risks and benefits between partners in a supply chain is often per definition, or implicitly, related to a high level of integration between the same partners. The purpose of this paper is to explore what risk management strategies and methods on order related risks that are used by suppliers in different interorganizational relationships. The various factors in focus in this study are factors related to risks from obsolescence in physical flows and acquisitions of equipments when a supplier accepts an order. In a network of logistic and managing directors, risk management issues in interorganizational settings were discussed on several seminars. The observed risk management methods and strategies among the organisations in the study suggest that they tend to view obsolescence risks more as pure risks in the least integrated relationships, and more as speculative risks in the most integrated relationships. However, they tend to limit the speculative risk management to modifications of system outcomes, not modifications of exposure. Nor do they balance the risk/utility level towards the customers. It is thus a relatively static approach to risk management with no changes of risk targets.

The Swedish Post Office is undergoing large-scale restructuring, including outsourcing of the mail service division to an independent market driven organisation. As a consequence of exposure to competition, the local delivery offices were rationalised by introducing a new working concept called “Best Method”. It was a top-down change process that included downsizing the personnel, more standardisation of working and formalisation of delivery time. The changes have influencedthe postmen’s working conditions in several ways and they perceive a greater workload. This paper aims to identify the factors that contribute to the increased workload and work intensification due to the rationalisation inherent in the new working concept. The findings emerge from an evaluative investigation conducted during autumn 2001 at fifteen local delivery offices in different parts ofSweden. It was carried out by an independent research team in industrial ergonomics through participant observation, 60 in-depth interviews anda questionnaire answered by 524 postal personnel, mainly postmen. Several factors contributing to the increased workload and work intensification have been identified, such as a faster work pace and greater physical workload, less flexibility forthe individual, insufficient participation, shortcomings and contradictions in the new working concept, deficient strategic planning and systems thinking, and a somewhat indistinct organisational philosophy. Further research activities are now taking place and an intervention study is in the planning stage.

The Swedish Post Office is undergoing large-scale restructuring including outsourcing of the mail service division to an independent market driven organisation. As a consequence of exposure to competition, the local delivery offices were rationalised by introducing a new working concept called “Best Method”. The implementation process varied substantially in terms of success at the local delivery offices. The aim of this paper is to identify factors crucial to the success of the process. The findings emerge from a study performed during autumn 2001 at fifteen local delivery offices in different parts of Sweden. It was carried out by participant observation, 60 in-depth interviews and a questionnaire answered by 524 postal personnel. A number of factors related to a successful implementation process have been identified as vital, such as participation, local and central managerial support and local adaptation of a managerial tool. In order to arrive at a more participative approach, an infrastructure is suggested that will improve information flow and communication both horizontally and vertically in the organisation. This calls for further research activities, which are planned in a second phase.

Utvärderingen har utförts på uppdrag av Servicenätet Leverans, Posten av en forskargrupp vid Avdelningen för Industriell arbetsvetenskap, inom forskningsområdet Kvalitet, Människa, Teknik vid Linköpings universitet. Det övergripande syftet har varit att medverka till utveckling, implementering samt utvärdering av åtgärder avsedda att förbättra brevbärarnas arbetssituation (BAS) enligt Postens målsättning. 

Syftet har närmare bestämt varit att ge en samlad bild av de olika BAS-åtgärderna i tre avseenden:

1. dels att utvärdera effekten av förbättringsåtgärder för främjande av brevbärarnas arbetssituation,
2. dels att utvärdera hur själva införandeprocessen har fungerat samt,
3. att dra lärdomar inför implementering av förbättringsåtgärderna vid övriga postutdelningskontor i landet.

Arbetet med att ta fram konkreta lösningar påbörjades i fyra delprojekt inom BAS II våren 2003 och avrapporterades under tidig höst 2003. Samtidigt startade förberedelser för att utvärdera helhetseffekten från samtliga åtgärdsförslag enligt BAS II på ett ”pilotkontor”, där valet föll på ett utdelningskontor på Lidingö. 

En projektgrupp med representanter för personalen på utdelningskontoret på Lidingö, medlemmar från BAS-projekten samt forskargruppen planerade tillsammans hur de olika förbättringsåtgärderna skulle införas och utvärderas.

 De övergripande förbättringsåtgärderna har huvudsakligen gällt:

• Införande av en Manual för organisation av inomhusarbetet
• Införande av ny märkning av kamfacken
• Införande av ny arbetsbelysning vid kamfacken
• Utbildning i arbetsteknik

Dessutom har en test av en motordriven konstruktion för höj- och sänkbarhet av kamfacken utförts och utvärderats.

Implementeringen och utvärderingen har genomförts på Lidingökontoret under perioden oktober 2003 till och med maj 2004. Efter deltagande observation av forskargruppen på utdelningskontoret har 35 brevbärare deltagit genom att dels besvara fem delenkäter och dels medverka i fyra gruppintervjuer. Intervjuer har även genomförts med de två teamledarna, dirigenten samt postcenterschefen. Utvärderingen av förändringsarbetet handlar såväl om de upplevda resultaten som om hur själva förändringsarbetet eller införandeprocessen har fungerat och lärdomar som kan dras av detta.

Resultaten visar att effekterna av samtliga förbättringsåtgärder enligt BAS-projekten generellt har upplevts mycket positivt av såväl brevbärare som kontorsledningen. Förbättringen av belysning och märkning är de åtgärder som upplevts ge en omedelbar och påtaglig förbättring och därför har varit lättare att utvärdera på kort sikt.

Arbetet med Manualen kräver däremot organisatoriska förändringar av arbetsprocesserna på utdelningskontoret. Detta kräver ett längre tidsperspektiv för utvärdering av resultaten. Detsamma gäller utbildningen i arbetsteknik som kräver en förändring i arbetssätt och därmed en beteendeförändring. Det tar tid att lära in nya sätt att arbeta och en sådan utbildningsinsats kräver också en utvärdering på längre sikt för att förbättringar skall gå att urskilja.

När det gäller upplevelsen av själva införandeprocessen upplevde brevbärarna generellt att den haft vissa brister även om åsikterna varierade. Det har i viss mån påverkat deras positiva upplevelser av förbättringsåtgärderna i negativ riktning.

I ett pilotprojekts natur ligger att man vill dra lärdomar inför framtiden, i det här fallet lärdomar som andra postutdeningskontor kan dra nytta av vid införandet av BAS-åtgärderna men också lärdomar för personer som har ledningsansvar i projekt- och förändringsarbete. Medarbetarna på Lidingökontoret har generöst delat med sig av sina erfarenheter och dessa ligger till grund för de råd som ges i det avslutande avsnittet inför det fortsatta implementeringsarbetet av BAS-åtgärderna på övriga postutdeningskontor i landet.

Production companies of today face extreme challenge to meet the rapid changes and increased flexibility that mass customization require. More and more customers are requiring the product to suite specific needs such as design, function and sustainability. These requirements results in increasing demands for the developers of the product but also for the personnel who will assemble the products in the final assembling. This paper suggests the need for further development, primarily addressing time parameters in dynamically changing assembly systems. We propose proactivity as a vital characteristic of semi-automated assembly systems, to increase fulfilment of customer demands and decrease non value-adding tasks. In proactive assembly systems, the potential of human operators and technical systems is utilised. Criteria for proactivity are reviewed from automation, information, and competence perspectives. Empirical data have been collected from five production companies in Sweden.

Purpose – This paper seeks to identify information enabling and supporting production ramp-up processes, by exploring critical events and the role of information in such events.

Design/methodology/approach – The research approach was based on empirical and theoretical investigations. A selection of 30 events, considered the most critical for production ramp-up realization and/or performance at one Swedish automotive company, were categorized and constituted the base for the analysis which focused information types and sources enabling event handling.

Findings – Information enabling event handling is a balanced combination of problem and domain information, regardless of event category. However, a differentiation concerning preference and usage of information types between experienced and less experienced personnel is identified. Problem-solving information has the character of pragmatic information, composed of complementary parts of confirmation and novelty in terms of domain and problem information. The preferred information source in all event categories was “other people”.

Research limitations/implications – The study focuses on the application of information in relation to critical events during production ramp-up. General information theory is not addressed in depth.

Practical implications – Information type and information source are not dependent on certain event categories, which allows a general information strategy enabling production ramp-up. To facilitate production ramp-up and event handling managers and key personnel need to apply a holistic perspective and need to be updated on domain information of the products, the equipment, and the production process during production ramp-up.

Originality/value – The originality is in the focus and role of information to achieve an efficient production ramp-up performance. A supporting model is developed which describes the structure of pragmatic information for personnel with various levels of experience, regardless of event category.

Outsourcing of production is an important phenomenon and a complex process and several frameworks describing how to outsource are presented in the literature. Logistics factors are included in some of the existing frameworks but seldom focused upon. Instead, logistics factors are discussed in more general terms. The objective is to derive and apply a general outsourcing process and structure logistics factors related to this process. Empirical data have been collected through a multiple case study consisting of three cases from three Swedish production companies. The application of the general outsourcing process to the cases showed that all three companies followed a process similar to the one derived from literature. Logistics factors important to include in an outsourcing process are categorised into the following groups: chain structure, customer service, logistics costs, and supply and logistics terms.

In this paper, a general outsourcing process was derived from the literature; important areas of logistics to be considered during an outsourcing process were then categorised and related to this process. The process was applied to empirical data from three companies. All three companies included all phases of the general outsourcing process in their outsourcing projects. The derived process thereby mirrors how these companies work with outsourcing projects. This makes it possible for other companies to use the process. The companies included logistics considerations in their processes but lacked a conscious focus on logistics. Using the general process including logistics would reduce the possibility of overlooking important considerations during outsourcing projects and decrease the problems discovered after implementation. An improved and more systemised outsourcing process would also probably decrease the time necessary for outsourcing projects. Further research should include studies of ongoing outsourcing projects, using the general outsourcing process including logistics.