Benefits and challenges with coordinated inventory control at Volvo Parts

Coordinated inventory control is a concept within inventory management where decisions are based on stock and demand situations throughout a whole system of interconnected warehouses and inventories, and where control parameters are simultaneously determined and set at all installations. This thesis is a part of a larger research collaboration project in coordinated inventory control where NGiL (Next Generation Innovative Logistics), a Lund based research institute, and Volvo Parts AB in Gothenburg participate. Volvo Parts handles the aftermarket distribution, sales and related services for the Volvo Group companies and has centrally controlled complex multi-level warehouse structures and routines. These warehouse structures are well suited for a coordinated inventory control approach. A new multi-level inventory control model has been developed by NGiL especially for the Volvo Parts supply chain in Europe. The model utilizes advanced mathematical concepts to mimic Volvo Parts inventory systems consisting of several dealers and warehouses on a market. The model optimizes the reorder points at all locations with the aim of minimizing the total costs of the system while still maintaining or increasing today’s service to end customers. The purpose of this thesis is to prepare for this pilot study by analyzing the information systems, processes, structures and routines at Volvo Parts, design methods for extraction and calculation of the necessary parameters, select an appropriate market and to perform a selection of suitable spare parts and accessories to be included in the pilot study. A suitable market for the pilot study and a method to select and classify 100 parts with all necessary parameters are the main results of the thesis. The study is performed as an action research project, meaning that the authors are stationed at Volvo Parts headquarters in Gothenburg and observe the daily work, perform the necessary data extractions from the IT systems themselves and conduct interviews on a daily basis. The gathered data is a combination of primary and secondary quantitative data from the IT systems and calculations, as well as a lot of primary qualitative data from interviews and observations. The authors also function as mediators between NGiL researchers and Volvo Parts personnel. The developed model is concluded to be a good representation of the reality of Volvo Parts’ supply chain on the selected market Spain, and the authors do not see any large obstacles in a generalization to other Volvo Parts markets with the same structure or even other companies. The one major discrepancy between the NGiL model and current Volvo Parts control methods is how service levels are measured and how goals on these service levels are achieved. We have also performed a simulation study for some of the selected parts and found that the potential for cost reductions is significant and that the optimized solution fulfills target service levels in almost all cases. We also found out that there are no clear correlations or patterns between the cost reduction and any of the part characteristics that were studied, implying that a larger simulation study or a real life pilot study is necessary in order to further investigate the full potential of the NGiL model

Naród a społeczeństwo obywatelskie - konflikt czy zgodne współistnienie?

Ze wstępu: "Społeczeństwa nie znajdują się w stanie stagnacji, ale nieustannie się zmieniają. Jest to szczególnie widoczne w obecnych czasach. Zmiany stały się czymś normalnym w naszym życiu społecznym, a tym samym zadomowiły się w naszej świadomości. Ich tempo przekracza często możliwości indywidualnego doświadczenia. Zaskakują nas, przygniatają, stanowią przyczynę zagubienia. Dotyczą prawie wszystkich idei, instytucji i struktur życia społeczno-politycznego. Wywołuje je człowiek swoim indywidualnym lub grupowym działaniem. Zmiany te są w większości wywoływane przez człowieka, przez jego indywidualne lub grupowe działania."(...

Korupcja w III RP – obszary szczególnego występowania

This analysis of the phenomenon of corruption draws the Author to a conclusion that efficient struggle against corruption is futile unless good law is originated and exacted appropriately. This law should be created by competent individuals and on the basis of substantive and credible information eliminating ‘pathological lobbying’. At the same time, politicians who create Polish law need to realize that they are themselves also obliged to observe this law and admit that corruption to a large degree concerns them personally.This analysis of the phenomenon of corruption draws the Author to a conclusion that efficient struggle against corruption is futile unless good law is originated and exacted appropriately. This law should be created by competent individuals and on the basis of substantive and credible information eliminating ‘pathological lobbying’. At the same time, politicians who create Polish law need to realize that they are themselves also obliged to observe this law and admit that corruption to a large degree concerns them personally

Ruch Stu – alternatywa dla klasy politycznej powstałej w 1989 roku

The Movement of a Hundred (Polish: Ruch Stu) was to become an alternative for the political class that emerged after 1989. The whole political class was supposed to be substituted in a democratic manner by new people entering the political arena. The minimum political platform was to unite the activists of diversified political provenience. The Movement of a Hundred was to provide a new way of functioning for the political parties. The very naming of the party as the „movement”, that is a common activity of new people, was of significant importance itself. They were to introduce a new quality of politics and a new model of a politician. Current political events involved the Movement of a Hundred in a never-ending spiral of political elections. The two most important events were supporting Lech Wa³êsa before the presidential elections and the decision to join the structures of the AWS (Solidarity Election Action). The Movement of a Hundred was to be an alternative and novelty on the Polish political arena. However, it became a tiny, hardly observable, component of the right wing of the former political class. It was commonly known to have been incorporated by the old elite. The Movement of a Hundred adopted behavioral models that were typical of a former political class (including the conflicts between the leaders), as well as the heavily criticized faults (struggle for gaining influence in the AWS) that resulted in the collapse of the whole right wing in the next parliamentary elections

Obojętność - wybór czy konieczność? Atmosfera permisywizmu w Polsce

Ze wstępu: "W szybko zmieniającym się świecie, nastawionym na konsumpcję i globalizację, w natłoku coraz większej liczby zdarzeń, na które nie mamy wpływu, a których wpływ na nas bywa znaczący, człowiek szuka sposobów na najlepsze przystosowanie się. Niestety, często musi się przystosowywać do świata pełnego łamania zasad, różnego typu patologii, kultu przyjemności (spotęgowanego przez kreowaną przez media wizję świata)."(...

The condition and perspectives of Polish political science in the beginning of the 21st century

The condition of political science in the beginning of the 21st century in Poland is the consequence of a number of factors, the most significant of them being Poland's communist experience (1945-1989), the post-1989 economic and political transformation as well as the changes in the organization of higher education both in terms of teaching and research. This paper covers all of those factors but its main aim is to present the state of Polish political science between 2000 and 2012. The authors present curricular and institutional changes in higher education, the number of universities providing courses in the field of political science as well as the number of students and academic staff. The paper discussed the structural and curricular changes introduced in the period in question following the Bologna Accord and the provisions of the National Framework for Higher Education Qualifications

Genetic causes of recurrent miscarriages

Recurrent miscarriage is an important problem in reproductive health, which affects 1–5% of couples. The aim of this article is to summarize current knowledge on the genetic causes of recurrent miscarriage. It presents the most common parental genetic disorders (karyotype abnormalities, recessive diseases carrier status, dominant diseases and thrombophilia) connected with recurrent pregnancy loss, as well as research into other possible genetic causes. This review also sets out to demonstrate changes in the embryonic/fetal genome that may lead to abortions, and discusses the methods used to assess miscarried material, together with their advantages and disadvantages. Knowledge of the genetic background of miscarriages is important for prognosis, as well as the potential planning of prenatal diagnostics in subsequent pregnancies