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The current industrial environment faces an increased demand for products to be delivered to market at a higher pace with high variety and customization. An increasing trend for automation and changeability to manage the increased volume of variants further intensify the challenge to design and integrate a manufacturing process that effectively incorporates the capacity to fulfil both aspects. The concept of reconfigurable manufacturing system (RMS) is a system designed to rapidly react to market opportunities and changes while enabling adaptability on a production system and machine level. RMS provides sufficient manufacturing flexibility in combination with dedicated manufacturing that strikes an effective balance between the two. RMS can utilize emerging technologies such as Automation, Integrated Internet of Things (IIoT), Cloud Computing, and Simulation to increase its ability to manage flexibility. Scalability can be achieved with automated manufacturing solutions such as human-robot collaboration (HRC). The operator, in these RMS that utilize emerging technologies, is an integral part of a manufacturing system, due to the interactivity between operators and reconfigurable or automated equipment. Extensive research has been conducted on technical solutions, safety challenges, ergonomics, and interfaces of the technology within HRC systems, yet limited research has been conducted on such systems from the operator's perspective. The aim of this article is to explore current academic literature on the topic of HRC and analyse its relevance within changeability as well as identify potential knowledge gaps of implementing an HRC system within RMS from an operator's perspective. 

Project portfolio management (PPM) is central for project-based firms to achieve structure and prioritization among multiple projects. Competitive pressures, emergence of new technology and constantly changing customer demand imply a dynamic nature of PPM that calls for adjustments to different situations. This paper investigates PPM challenges that a company in the lighting industry face during a technology transformation from fluorescent technology to LED technology. The technology transformation resembles a modular innovation and the question asked is: How does technology transformation influence the project selection process? The findings rest upon an in-depth case study where data was collected via narrative interviews with representatives having detailed insights into the company's PPM activities and decisions. The key findings from the study are: (1) When a company faces a technology, which involves most products in the portfolio to be converted to a new technology, the project selection focus shifts from “what products should be developed” to “in what order should the products be developed”. (2) The technology transformation might lead to that the planned order for carrying out projects can be frequently changed due to reprioritizations during project execution phase. Based on the key findings it can be concluded that PPM selection seems more dynamic than postulated in the literature. This paper contributes with increased insights into the dynamic nature of project selection, specifically related to a technology transformation situations characterized by modular innovation. Further studies are needed regarding effects of other kinds of technology transformations on project selection activities and decisions as well as other factors contributing to the dynamics of PPM.

The aim of this paper is to provide new perspectives on the implementation of new operations management practices by applying three different but interrelated frameworks: Human Interaction Dynamics, Normalization Process Theory, and Professional competence as ways of being. The empirical material in this paper is based on a case study within a global manufacturing company, and more specific the development and implementation of a new OM practice for knowledge sharing at one of the sites in Sweden. A mixed-method approach is used, and the empirical material is collected through analysis of a database, two group interviews, and a survey.

Although plant role issues have been discussed in a number of studies, there is limited insights in literature on the capabilities that are required for the core plant to be excellent. Drawing on a capability based perspective, the purpose of this paper is to deepen the understanding of core plant capabilities for competitive production development by analysing the multidisciplinary literature on the core plant concept. We synthesis our findings into a conceptual model that distinguishing capabilities required to be (come) and act as an excellent core plant and thus widen the core plant concept and offer several contributions.

The result of today’s global and increasingly tough competition is narrow market windows and a demand for quick volume increases in production. This in turn means increased demands for a rapid and effective development of production equipment that ensures high performance right at the start of production. Robust production equipment with a high level of production efficiency and reduced costs for operation and maintenance therefore make up one of the most important factors for strong competitiveness and high profitability for Swedish industrial enterprises. Strong collaboration between users and suppliers is the key to success in this type of investment project. This handbook therefore presents a model that can be used by manufacturing companies who want to develop robust production equipment. The model and the other recommendations of the handbook focus on projects that are to be carried out in strong collaboration and are targeted at both users and suppliers. The model has been deve-loped through “EQUIP – User-supplier integration in production equipment design”, which has received funding from the Knowledge Foundation 2013–2016. The model consists of seven development phases based on the production equipment life cycle: Phase 1 – Preliminary study Phase 2 – Concept study Phase 3 – Procurement Phase 4 – Detailed design Phase 5 – Construction Phase 6 – Installation and commissioning Phase 7 – Production In each phase, critical activity steps and recommendations are presented for how to distribute responsibility within and between the parties involved. The model adopts a life cycle perspective for development projects in order to facilitate collaboration and to more clearly visualise the link between activities and their impact on the project success. Within the scope of an investment project, there is a great potential for developing sustainable production solutions. For this reason, this handbook also presents seven guidelines that may provide you with support in developing production equipment that remains secure, lean and sustainable throughout the equipment life cycle. The main purpose of the handbook is to facilitate collaboration through the whole investment project in a way that benefits both parties and which contributes to lasting relationships. The results of the research project show that there is a great interest in improved collaboration from both users and suppliers. For this reason, support, tools and preparedness from both parties are required to venture into investing time and resources in collaboration from the beginning, in the early phases of a new development project. This is then the potential to lay the foundation for long-term collaboration and for designing the best possible production equipment in the shortest time possible.

In a global manufacturing context it becomes clear that to stay competitive production technology design and implementation needs to be carefully considered. When technology is changing it is important to assess the needs in order to decide whether new or remanufactured production equipment is the best alternative. The purpose of this article is to explore key parameters that differentiate the remanufacturing from the acquisition of new production technology projects and their impact on the collaboration with the equipment supplier. Based on these parameters we propose support for deciding whether to develop new production technology or to remanufacture the current one.

Av dagens globala och allt hårdare konkurrens följer korta marknadsfönster och krav på snabb volym- uppgång i produktion. Det innebär i sin tur ökade krav på snabb och effektiv utveckling av produktions- utrustning som säkerställer hög prestanda direkt vid produktionsstart. Robust produktionsutrustning med hög produktionseffektivitet och minskade kostnader för drift och underhåll är därför en av de viktigaste faktorerna för stark konkurrenskraft och hög lönsamhet för svenska industriföretag. God samverkan mellan beställare och leverantör är nyckeln till framgång i denna typ av investerings- projekt. Denna handbok presenterar därför en modell som kan användas av tillverkande företag som vill utveckla robust produktionsutrustning. Modellen och övriga rekommendationer i handboken fokuserar på projekt som ska genomföras i stark samverkan och riktar sig till både beställaren och leverantören. Den har utvecklats i forskningsprojektet ”EQUIP – kund- och leverantörsintegration i utformning av produktionsutrustning” som finansierats av KK-stiftelsen under 2013-2016. Modellen består av sju utvecklingsfaser som är baser- ade på produktionsutrustnings livscykel: Fas 1 – Förstudie Fas 2 – Konceptstudie Fas 3 – Upphandling Fas 4 – Detaljerad utformning Fas 5 – Uppbyggnad Fas 6 – Installation och driftsättning Fas 7 – Produktion I varje fas presenteras kritiska aktivitetssteg och rekommendationer för hur ansvaret för dessa bör fördelas inom och emellan deltagande parter. Modellen använder ett livscykelperspektiv för utvecklingsprojekt för att underlätta samverkan samt tydligare visualisera sambandet mellan aktiviteter och deras påverkan på projektets framgång. Inom ramen för ett investeringsprojekt finns stor potential att utveckla hållbara produktionslösningar. Därför presenterar denna handbok även sju guider som kan stödja er i att ta fram produktionsutrustning som är säker, lean och hållbar under hela utrustningens livscykel. Huvudsyftet med handboken är att underlätta samverkan under hela investeringsprojektet på ett sätt som gagnar båda parter och bidrar till varaktiga relationer. Forskningsprojektets resultat visar att det finns ett stort intresse för främjad samverkan från både beställ- are och leverantör. Därför behövs stöd, verktyg och beredskap från båda parter för att våga investera tid och resurser på samverkan redan från början, i de tidiga faserna av ett nytt utvecklingsprojekt. Det är då potentialen att lägga grunden till långsiktig samverkan och utforma bästa möjliga produktionsutrustning på kortast möjliga tid är som störst.

In early phases of production system design important decisions are made that set prerequisites for the whole project. However, production engineers often gets involved when the decisions already are made. This paper aims to develop support for early production involvement founded on multiple case studies.

The purpose of this paper is to refine existing theories on collaboration between users and suppliers in joint production equipment development projects by exploring critical collaboration activities throughout the lifecycle stages of the production equipment. By means of a literature review and a multiple case study of two equipment suppliers and two users, a lifecycle perspective on production equipment development is adopted. Our results show that collaboration intensity depends on the specific lifecycle stage of the production equipment. The contributions of this paper are illustrated in a developed lifecycle model in order to facilitate practitioners in organising critical collaboration activities.