Balancing the flow of wood and use of machinery in harvesting operations : new perspectives on how to improve performance in the wood supply chain

Meeting current wood supply objectives requires a certain flexibility in the wood procurement system. Suitable buffers to generate flexibility include creating a balance between flow and resource efficiency. Research on resource efficiency (e.g. cost-efficiency) in harvesting operations are abundant, but the flow efficiency have not been given much attention. This is somewhat surprising as the constant need for flexibility in practical operations has to be solved by more or less unplanned and intuitive means, or handled by other parts of the supply chain. This thesis therefore aims to improve performance in Nordic cut-to-length harvesting operations by exploring flow and resource efficiency and suggesting new perspectives on how to balance them well. Paper I covers how workloads in terms of produced volumes and worked time vary in harvesting operations. The results revealed differences between contractors’ workflows, which could be attributed to number of machines, machine sizes and total workload. Papers II and III explore the trade-offs between flow and resource efficiency by altering staffing levels within and between harvesting groups, and thereby improving flexibility. The results revealed that with a balanced amount of flexibility there could be a potential capacity to adjust wood flow efficiency at the expense of resource efficiency. With flexibility, lead times could be shortened to one tenth, but at an increase in costs of 3.2 - 3.5 % or 1.6-1.8 % if flexibility was enabled within or in cooperation between harvesting groups. Paper IV identifies the perceived drivers and hindrances acting on contractors’ flow and resource efficiency while taking into consideration the expectation that harvesting operations also include many other important aspects of performance. The results indicate that incentives given in the business relationship mainly drive resource efficiency and hinder flow efficiency, while involvement from the forest company mainly drive flow efficiency while hindering resource efficiency. A framework was therefore created to improve performance management which is currently surrounded by complexity

Luftvägsviroser hos förmedlingskalvar

Utbrott med pneumoni i kalvbesättningar är förenat med både ökade arbetsinsatser och produktionsförluster för djurägaren. Av den anledningen är det av intresse att hålla sjukdomsutbrotten nere, något som ibland är lättare sagt än gjort då många olika infektionsagens samspelar med såväl miljöfaktorer som kalvens egen fysiologi vid etablering och spriding av luftvägsinfektioner. I den här studien ingick 30 förmedlingskalvar av mjölkras som ursprungligen köptes in från 10 olika besättningar för att ingå i ett försök på Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet (SLU) i Uppsala. Strax efter att kalvarna anlänt till stallokalerna insjuknade majoriteten av dem med varierande grad av luftvägssymptom, lös avföring/diarré och nedsatt allmäntillstånd, något som är mycket vanligt då kalvar från olika besättningar integreras. De kalvar som visade påtagliga symtom på luftvägsinfektion behandlades med penicillin-prokain. Blodprov togs från alla individer i samband med ankomst samt 19-34 dagar senare strax innan avlivning. Blodproven analyserades med indirekt ELISA avseende antikroppar mot fyra virus som är vanligt förekommande i samband med utbrott av kalvpneumoni, nämligen BRSV (bovint respiratoriskt syncytialt virus), BCV (bovint coronavirus), BAV-3 (bovint adenovirus typ 3) och BPIV-3 (bovint parainfluensavirus typ 3). Varken BCV eller BPIV-3 hade någon avgörande roll i sjukdomsförloppet baserat på serumanalyserna. Inte heller kunde något aktivt infektionsutbrott påvisas för BRSV men däremot tydde resultaten på att kalvar från två av besättningarna hade infekterats med BRSV innan de köptes in till projektet. Kalvarna från de här besättningarna uppvisade en markant högre behandlingsfrekvens än kalvar från de andra besättningarna, något som kan sammankopplas med virusets förmåga att på ett negativt sätt interagera med immunförsvar, slemhinnor och cilierat epitel hos drabbade individer. Följden blir en generellt nedsatt motståndskraft mot sekundära patogener. Elva kalvar uppvisade en tydlig serokonversion mot BAV-3, vilket tyder på att denna infektion cirkulerade bland kalvarna under försökets gång.  Outbreaks of pneumonia in calf groups are associated with both increased work load and production losses for the animal owner. For this reason it is of great interest to keep the incidence of infection low, something that can be easier said than done since many different pathogens interact with environmental factors as well as the physiology of the calf when it comes to the establishment and propagation of respiratory infections. This study involved 30 dairy calves purchased from 10 different herds to be part of a trial at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU) in Uppsala. Shortly after their arrival to SLU, the majority fell ill with respiratory symptoms, loose feces/diarrhea and a decline in general condition, something that is very common when calves of different origins are co-mingled in this manner. Calves with moderate to severe symptoms of respiratory disease were treated with penicillin-procaine. Blood samples were collected from all individuals at the point of arrival and then again 19-34 days later before the calves were euthanized. The blood samples were analyzed with indirect ELISA for antibody levels to four viral pathogens that are commonly associated with enzootic pneumonia, namely BRSV (bovine respiratory syncytial virus), BCV (bovine coronavirus), BAV-3 (bovine adenovirus type 3) and BPIV-3 (bovine parainfluenza virus type 3.) Neither BCV nor BPIV-3 seemed to play an important role in this specific outbreak based on the serum-analyses. However, although there were no evidence of any active and propagating infection of BRSV in the calf group the results suggested that calves from two of the ten herds had been infected with BRSV before they were purchased. The individuals from these particular farms showed a markedly higher treatment-frequency compared to calves from the other farms. This is something that can be traced back to the virus ability to interact in a negative way with the cellular immune system, mucus membranes and ciliated epithelia resulting in a reduced general resistance to pathogens amongst affected calves. Eleven calves showed a marked increase, seroconversion, in antibodies directed against BAV-3, indicating an active BAV-3 infection spreading among the calves during the observation period

International manufacturing relocation - the phenomenon of backshoring

Recently, firms have started to bring back once offshored manufacturing activities from far distant locations, an activity referred to as backshoring. The purpose of this thesis is to contribute to the understanding of the backshoring phenomenon by answering four research questions related to different aspects of manufacturing relocation. Thereby, the thesis makes several important contributions to researchers that aim to understand why firms are relocating manufacturing activities, and to practitioners that aim to be competitive in the global market by optimizing their manufacturing network.The thesis is based on the results of five articles from two separate studies. The first study is a survey study aimed at manufacturing plants in Sweden, Finland, and Denmark, with questions related to manufacturing relocations during a five-year period. In particular, the survey captures data about the drivers and benefits of a specific offshoring project and a specific backshoring project, thus providing unique possibilities to compare the two relocation directions. The second study is a literature study, followed by two types of meta-analyses of previously published case studies. The meta-analyses allowed for accumulation of existing knowledge, in an effort to accelerate the progress of the field. There are many potential drivers of manufacturing relocation in the backshoring literature. This thesis presents two different ways of grouping them. The results are similar, and indicate that cost, access to competences and access to market are the three most important drivers to explain offshoring and backshoring. However, firms backshore manufacturing activities for considerably different reasons than they offshore. In addition to the relocation drivers, contextual aspects such as plant size, industry and geography also influence the relocation decision. Interestingly, the results show that there is a causal relationship between backshoring and the previous, related, offshoring activity, which means that the offshoring decision has an impact on the subsequent backshoring decision. After relocation, firms are experiencing different benefits depending on the relocation direction. The results show that drivers and benefits are aligned, which indicates that firms realize the expected benefits from a relocation project. However, if the firm desires performance improvements on a broader scale, there is a need to balance the relocation motivations as no driver alone leads to benefits in all performance measures. Based on the results of the meta-analysis, a framework for backshoring studies was created, that includes all aspects identified by previous literature, and that takes into consideration the previous offshoring project. As such, this thesis presents the first complete backshoring framework that considers offshoring and backshoring together

Why rock the boat? - A qualitative case study concerning three municipalities’ reasons for large-scale organisational change

There is an ongoing debate within Swedish public administration regarding whether municipalities can handle contemporary issues that require some amount of coordination as well as whether they are straying from democratic principles. It is argued that the origin of this debate lies in the sectorisation of the Swedish welfare system, where the traditional model has been deemed unfit. There is concern about technical coordination, as officials are unaware of work occurring outside their own department as well as apprehensions related to a sectorised political organisation. Implemented by approximately 20 percent of Swedish municipalities, a new organisational trend of committee organisation has subsequently achieved social authority as a solution. However, the organisational pendulum has swung once more, as some municipalities have reverted to the traditional model. It is fascinating how municipalities facing the same contemporary issues choose differing organisational solutions. This study aims to analyse why municipalities differ using a theoretically driven case-based method that applies recent institutional approaches to change. The study follows a qualitative approach and compares three municipalities’ organisational change through conducting interviews. The analyses show that the reasons why they change are more closely related to the reform to which they adapt rather than a coherent perspective. Historical-institutional patterns showcase the reasons why municipalities revert to the traditional model and that external factors create pressure to choose committee organisation. Keywords: organisational change, sectorisation, coordination, municipalities, public administration Words: 20 30

Hästen i skogsbruket – kommuners erfarenheter

Hästarna hade förr en stor betydelse i skogsbruket, då de avlastade människan när det gällde bär- och draghjälp. I början på 1900-talet fanns det cirka 600 000 hästar i Sverige som sedan kom att minska drastiskt efter andra världskriget. Den drastiska minskningen av hästar kom att bero på den mekanisering som genomfördes och år 1970 återstod cirka 42 500 arbetshästar i Sverige. Mekaniseringen innebar att maskiner utvecklades och tillverkades för att ersätta arbetshästarna. Idag bor det många människor i och runt om Sveriges tätorter där det oftast också finns skogbeklädda arealer. Skogen bör skötas om i form av att man avverkar träd med jämna mellanrum och just i tätorterna finns det kommuner som använder sig av skogshästar i stället för skogsmaskiner. När skogsmaskiner skall utföra arbetet i skogen kan motstånd uppstå från allmänheten som anser att maskinerna förstör rekreationsområden. Det kan handla om att det blir körskador i markskiktet och att det låter mycket från maskinerna under tiden som åtgärden utförs. När hästen arbetar i skogen så minimeras risken för att körskador skall uppstå, samtidigt som att åtgärden utförs med en lägre ljudnivå. Hästen stör helt enkelt inte allmänheten på samma sätt som maskiner kan göra. Studiens syfte var att undersöka i hur stor utsträckning som skogshästar används inom Katrineholms, Jönköpings och Nyköpings kommun. Därtill skulle studien också besvara hur allmänheten reagerar på skogsvårdsåtgärder som utförs med häst. Studiens genomfördes med hjälp av intervjuer under sommaren 2022 med personer som är skogligt insatta inom de tre kommunerna, och som arbetar som skogsförvaltare och underentreprenörer. Dessutom har tio privatpersoner intervjuats inom Katrineholms och Jönköpings kommun. Många respondenter var positiva till att använda hästen inom skogsbruket där det ansågs som lämpligt. Några anledningar till detta var för att det ansågs som mer skonsamt för markskiktet än om en maskin hade utfört samma jobb samt att det ansågs trevligt att se djur som utför skogsvårdsåtgärden. Flera respondenter nämnde att allmänheten ofta var och tittade på hästarna under tiden som åtgärderna utfördes, där ibland även förskoleklasser. Studien visar att vid mindre uttag av skogsråvara så kan hästen även ekonomiskt vara ett konkurrenskraftigt alternativ till en liten skogsmaskin.The horse used to have a great importance in forestry, they were man's right hand when it came to carrying and pulling. At the beginning of the 20th century, there were approximately 600 000 horses in Sweden, which then came to decrease drastically after the Second World War. The drastic reduction in horses was due to the mechanization, and in 1970 approximately 42 500 working horses remained in Sweden. Mechanization meant that machines were developed and manufactured to replace the workhorses. Today, many people live in and around Sweden's conurbations, where there usually also are forested areas. The forest should be cared for with regular intervals and there are municipalities that are using horses instead of machines to work in the urban areas. When forest machines work in the forest, opposition may arise from the public who believe that the machines are destroying recreational areas. This could mean that there is ground damage on the soil and that there is a lot of noise from the machines during the time of the logging. When the horse works in the forest, the risk of driving injuries is minimized, and the logging takes place more silently. The horse simply does not disturb the public in the same way that machines may do. The purpose of the study is to answer the extent to which forest horses are used within the municipalities of Katrineholm, Jönköping and Nyköping. In addition, the study will also answer how the public reacts to forest conservation measures carried out with horses. The study is answered with the help of interviews conducted during the summer of 2022 with people who are knowledgeable about forestry within the municipality, for example forest managers and contractors. In addition, 10 private individuals have been interviewed within the municipalities of Katrineholm and Jönköping. Many of the respondents were positive about using the horse in forestry where it was considered appropriate. Some of the reasons were that it is gentler on the soil than if a machine were to perform the same job and that people like to see animals working in the forest. Several respondents mentioned that the public often came to watch the horses while they were working, sometimes including preschool classes. The study shows that with less extraction of forest raw material, the horse can also economically be a competitive alternative to a small forest machine

Multi-frequency polarimetric SAR signatures of lead sea ice and oil spills

Synthetic aperture radar is used to identify and monitor oil spills. Separation from oil spill look-alikes is an important part of a fully automatic oil spill detection scheme. Here we investigate the polarimetric signatures for oil spills and newly formed sea ice (a well-known look-alike) in fully polarimetric Radarsat-2 satellite scenes. Using the fully polarimetric scenes we calculate four different parameters, co-polarization ratio, polarization difference, scattering entropy, and mean alpha angle. Three pairs of satellite scenes with comparable incidence angles are used. We observe that a combination of the co-polarization ratio and the polarization difference enables us to delineate the spills from their surrounding and also to discriminate the oil spills from the newly formed sea ice. The scattering entropy and the alpha values provide additional information about the scattering mechanisms of sea ice and oil spills

SMART METERS AND DEMAND SIDE MANAGEMENT IN SMART GRIDS – EXPLORING CHALLENGES AND OUTLINING FUTURE RESEARCH DIRECTIONS

This research in progress paper explores smart meters and demand side management (DSM) challenges and how this is perceived by suppliers of smart grids. It builds on semi-structured interviews and a literature review showing that smart meters are a highly important, relevant, and interesting research topic. We identify a need to include knowledge on how to develop smart meter technology further as well as how to increase both supplier and energy user engagement and involvement in development of smart meters technology. Our research shows that there exist gaps between: policies, goals and expectations on one side and implementation and use of smart meters on the other side. Based on initial results we conclude that there is a need to explore DSM and smart meter technology further and to learn from a social-technical IS perspective to overcome a one-sided perspective, or even deterministic view, on technology