The changing role of shop-floor operators in zero defect manufacturing

In the journey towards zero defect manufacturing, digital technologies aiming to improve different aspects of production and quality control will be of high importance. This will not replace existing management approaches such as lean manufacturing, including continuous improvement at the shop-floor level. A single case study is performed, where we have examined various aspects that influence a successful continuous improvement for reducing scrap parts and prevent further propagation in interaction with new zero-defect solutions. The aim is to identify the changing roles of the shop-floor operators and we highlight that they still will remain a key part of the system.publishedVersio

Toyota Kata for continuous improvement; an action research project in the construction industry

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate how Toyota Kata can be effectively applied in the engineer-to-order (ETO) manufacturing within the construction industry. The objective is to identify the critical success factors (CSFs) for the Toyota Kata implementation in this environment and to develop a continuous improvement (CI) method – based on Toyota Kata and adapted to the ETO manufacturing within the construction industry. Design/methodology/approach: An action research (AR) approach was applied, which includes a participatory form of inquiry and learning from both intended and unintended outcomes, while simultaneously building up scientific knowledge about successful implementation of Toyota Kata. Findings: All the CSFs in the AR project are addressed by the earlier literature, thus confirming the existing body of knowledge. Moreover, the existing knowledge was arguably extended through the modified Toyota Kata as an approach for CI. New elements regarding how to run the small experiments by extending the core team with personnel who work with the problem on a daily basis. Originality/value: This research addresses a gap identified in the literature regarding how Toyota Kata can be adapted to the ETO manufacturing within the construction industry. It also presents an overview of CSFs for the Toyota Kata implementation in this environment.acceptedVersio

Future competence at shopfloor in the era of Industry 4.0 - A case study in Norwegian industry

Industry 4.0 technologies with the vision of smart factories will dominate the manufacturing industry for the next decades. Hence, the application of digital technologies of modern IT and communication technologies to enable machines, products, and human being exchanging information with each other will be of high importance. Consequently, more complex manufacturing processes will evolve and affecting the interplay of humans and technology. Thus, we argue that the competence needed for the future will change to successfully integrate industry 4.0 technologies. From this perspective, sufficient and correct competence will be a critical success factor enabling to integrate and to apply required new digital technologies at shopfloor. Hence, both technical professionals and operators at shop floor will be involved. Case studies from six Norwegian industry companies are used to illustrate how future competence at shopfloor must fit into the era of industry 4.0. Our empirical evidence shows that both upskilling and reskilling is necessary to success with the digital transformation and a good starting point is the operators’ positive attitude to upskill their competence. How to manage this has to be included in a digital strategy. This article will provide an important contribution on how companies can solve the issues as evolution of competence for future success in the era of industry 4.0, which should be relevant to both industry and academia.publishedVersio

Quick-Scan – Towards a Strategy for Responsive and Resilient Value Chains

To remain competitive in today’s increasingly dynamic and complex environments, manufacturing enterprises must build resilience to respond to changes quickly. As such, lean production has provided firms with an alternative to "fat and lazy" mass production. In addition, Quick Response Manufacturing has been presented as a credible supplement to lean production, specifically in High Mix, Low Volume environments. Drawing on practical insights from two case studies, we present a Quick-Scan method as an initial step towards creating resilient and responsive value chain strategies. The approach combines manufacturing critical-path time mapping from Quick Response Manufacturing with Gemba-based discovery and learning from Lean - to find, face, and frame real problems, and thereafter form solutions together with managers and front-line personnel. The method has been adopted in both cases as a means of revitalizing operations with the intention of enabling more effective delivery of customer-specific products.publishedVersio

Barriers Hindering an Efficient Implementation Process of Digital Technologies; a Case Study at Norwegian Manufacturing Companies

The existing wave of improvement in manufacturing industry is strongly driven by the application of digital technologies. Unfortunately, the implementation process is not straightforward. To understand the barriers which hinder a smooth implementation process is essential for successful implementation of digital technologies. Our study aims to identify the major barriers based on a case study performed at six Norwegian manufacturing companies, to know what to solve enabling a smoother implementation process. The findings shows that both technical and organizational aspects are of importance to consider, where the organizational aspects are seen as the most underestimated. The lack of digital competence alongside underestimated need for organizational development of involved people emerges as prominent barriers. Some technical problems were also pertinent, like system integration. Sharing of data was seen as a potential asset, but both legal, strategic and technical issues hampered this. The results of this study may help managers and practitioners to address the major barriers highlighted, paving the way for successful implementation and integration of digital technologies in the manufacturing industry.acceptedVersio

The changing role of shop-floor operators in zero defect manufacturing

In the journey towards zero defect manufacturing, digital technologies aiming to improve different aspects of production and quality control will be of high importance. This will not replace existing management approaches such as lean manufacturing, including continuous improvement at the shop-floor level. A single case study is performed, where we have examined various aspects that influence a successful continuous improvement for reducing scrap parts and prevent further propagation in interaction with new zero-defect solutions. The aim is to identify the changing roles of the shop-floor operators and we highlight that they still will remain a key part of the system

A Survey on Current Practices, Strategies and Research Needs for Circular Manufacturing of Plastics

Advances in manufacturing technology made plastics comparatively inexpensive, light, mouldable and durable. The great success of plastics comes along with a strong negative environmental impact and their accumulation in landfills and leakage into the natural environment is now recognized as a global environmental crisis. The circular economy approach to plastics provides a feasible solution to the prevailing linear system and aims to raise the proportion of plastic that is reused or recycled back into the system. The transition towards a circular economy, cannot be achieved solely through changes within the waste-handling system but must be combined with changes in other parts of the value chain, including the design, the manufacturing, etc. Plastic manufacturing companies need support in the transition. Therefore, this study aims to provide knowledge to plastics companies to move from linear towards circular manufacturing processes. We conduct a systematic literature review examining current practices and research needs in circularity within the plastics industry. This study contributes to the literature by mapping circularity strategies in plastics, explaining innovative circular plastic materials, and highlighting current circular manufacturing technologies such as additive manufacturing and the chemical transformation of waste plastics into various value-added chemical feedstocks, which can replace petrochemicals. Additionally, circular pathways are illustrated to support practitioners in identifying their current position in the value chain and understanding pathways to increase circularity. One of the key conclusions is that circular plastic value chains are still deficient in the implementation of R-strategies (such as rethinking, reducing, reusing, etc.) besides recycling.acceptedVersio

Future competence at shopfloor in the era of Industry 4.0 - A case study in Norwegian industry

Industry 4.0 technologies with the vision of smart factories will dominate the manufacturing industry for the next decades. Hence, the application of digital technologies of modern IT and communication technologies to enable machines, products, and human being exchanging information with each other will be of high importance. Consequently, more complex manufacturing processes will evolve and affecting the interplay of humans and technology. Thus, we argue that the competence needed for the future will change to successfully integrate industry 4.0 technologies. From this perspective, sufficient and correct competence will be a critical success factor enabling to integrate and to apply required new digital technologies at shopfloor. Hence, both technical professionals and operators at shop floor will be involved. Case studies from six Norwegian industry companies are used to illustrate how future competence at shopfloor must fit into the era of industry 4.0. Our empirical evidence shows that both upskilling and reskilling is necessary to success with the digital transformation and a good starting point is the operators’ positive attitude to upskill their competence. How to manage this has to be included in a digital strategy. This article will provide an important contribution on how companies can solve the issues as evolution of competence for future success in the era of industry 4.0, which should be relevant to both industry and academia

Quick-Scan – Towards a Strategy for Responsive and Resilient Value Chains

To remain competitive in today’s increasingly dynamic and complex environments, manufacturing enterprises must build resilience to respond to changes quickly. As such, lean production has provided firms with an alternative to "fat and lazy" mass production. In addition, Quick Response Manufacturing has been presented as a credible supplement to lean production, specifically in High Mix, Low Volume environments. Drawing on practical insights from two case studies, we present a Quick-Scan method as an initial step towards creating resilient and responsive value chain strategies. The approach combines manufacturing critical-path time mapping from Quick Response Manufacturing with Gemba-based discovery and learning from Lean - to find, face, and frame real problems, and thereafter form solutions together with managers and front-line personnel. The method has been adopted in both cases as a means of revitalizing operations with the intention of enabling more effective delivery of customer-specific products