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Production system development is challenging for manufacturing companies, and development of HMLV production cells entails additional challenges. Thus, the aim of this study is to support the development of a HMLV production cell, and the following research questions were asked:

RQ1: What are the challenges of developing a HMLV production cell?

RQ2: What are the critical factors to consider when developing a HMLV production cell?

RQ3: How can the development of a HMLV production cell be supported?

A literature review in combination with a case study were performed to fulfill the aim and answer the research questions. The literature review was conducted to gain knowledge from previous studies, whilst the case study was performed to complement the theoretical findings. The selected case is the development of a HMLV production cell in the department of engine machining at Scania, which is planned to perform production activities for various departments of Scania. The primary data was collected through observations and interviews.

The identified challenges of developing a HMLV production cell were production planning, utilization of equipment, product quality and material flow. The identified critical factors to consider when developing a HMLV production cell were production flexibility, production competence, production technology, pilot production, manufacturing strategy, order management system and standardization. The identified challenges of developing a HMLV production cell and the critical factors to consider when developing a HMLV production cell can support manufacturing companies by informing what challenges to expect prior to developing a HMLV production cell, and what critical factors can mitigate these challenges.

Two ways of supporting the development of a HMLV production cell are recommended to Scania: creating a structured order management system and performing a pilot production for the milling operation of the core box reparation process. During this study, it was discovered that different HMLV production cells have different capabilities, challenges, and therefore also different critical factors. As such, recommendation for further research is to investigate how the development of different types of HMLV production cells can be supported by using a multiple case study research design, and to compare the challenges and critical factors for the development for the different types of HMLV production cells.