This study originates in a recognised unsustainable cost escalation for complex defence equipment. In order to understand how such cost escalation for complex product systems (CoPS) can be avoided, this study comparatively explores four different industrial sectors–energy, transportation, healthcare and defence–with and without intergenerational increasing costs, represented by four international companies. The results, collected from studying the development of one of each company’s products, reveal some characteristic differences in market factors between those sectors and companies having problems with intergenerational escalating costs and customer affordability, as compared to other sectors and companies. It is suggested that dependent on market characteristics, it might be necessary to actively manage affordability when CoPS are developed. Efforts made by the companies to make products more affordable were identified, and several factors enabling and disabling the development of less costly products without compromising customer needs were explored. Further, the implications of affordability management in a CoPS setting are elaborated on.

Artificial Intelligence offers a wide variety of capabilities that can potentially address people's needs and desires in their specific contexts. This pilot study presents a collaborative method using a deck of AI cards tested with 58 production, AI, and information science students, and experts from an accessible media agency. The results suggest that, with the support of the method and AI cards, participants can ideate and reach conceptual AI solutions. Such conceptualisations can contribute to a more inclusive integration of AI solutions in society.

Novel IoT market solutions and research promise IoT modules that do not require  programming or electrical setup, yet shop floor personnel need to face problem solving  activities to create technical solutions. This paper introduces the Karakuri card deck and  presents a case study composed of four workshop sessions in four manufacturing settings,  where shop floor personnel tested the cards as a means of ideating and presenting  conceptual IoT solutions in the form of diagrams. The results indicate the validity of the  proposed conceptual solutions and suggest prototyping as a next step.

This paper explores the concept of green design in the context of production, focusing on investment projects for production equipment design and acquisition by a manufacturing firm. Research towards making manufacturing and production related activities more sustainable is increasing. In the manufacturing sector, environmental sustainability tends to be more commonly approached from the operations perspective. However, the decisions taken in the design phase of the production equipment significantly impact the operations phase. Therefore, proactive design approaches for sustainability applied in product design settings could be transferred to the design of the production equipment to build in green aspects from the outset. This study explores the research questions of what green production equipment design entails and how the concept of green design has evolved in the context of production. Overall, this conceptual paper highlights the importance of incorporating green design principles from the outset of the production design. Transferable methodological issues are also explored for further detailed investigation in the production equipment design context. Strong collaboration between equipment suppliers and the buying manufacturer that aims to integrate sustainability as part of requirements is proposed as an enabler for the way forward. The paper also provides insights into the evolution of the concept in this context for possible future research.

In order to promote an efficient use of energyfor lighting, while putting the user's perception and light comfort in focus,this project has developed methods and tools to communicate light and lighting.To ensure that light environments are designed from a user perspective,existing definitions of light quality, which are mainly based on technicalterms, have been supplemented with concepts and definitions of visual and emotionalcharacter of light. The lighting industry and professional purchasers have beeninvolved in all phases of the project in order to develop methods and toolsthat are well-grounded and applicable by different actors involved in theprocess from light planning to the implementation of lighting environments. Lighting accounts for a significant part of the total energy use in buildings,about 20 per cent for households and 40 per cent for premises. The energysaving potential is thus high. Moreover, Europe is facing a shift towards moreenergy efficient lighting as a result of both regulations and technologydevelopment. Still, Swedish consumers tend to prefer incandescent light, as itis perceived to provide better comfort compared to modern light sources.Therefore, in order to motivate property owners and consumers to convert tomore energy-efficient products, it is necessary to focus more on the visual andemotional qualities of light. Today, however, knowledge, concepts and tools to communicateand measure visual light quality are lacking. This challenge has been the motivationand starting point for the development of methods for assessing objective andsubjective light qualities for light sources, luminaires and light environmentswithin this project and to translate the results into tools targeting theindustry. The project has developed a draft communication tool based on the humanperception of light quality. The tool aims to constitute a neutralcommunication point and to supports both the lighting industry and professionalpurchaser, and thus also the end user. By reducing misunderstandings andincreasing the consensus between actors in different parts of the process fromlight planning to implementation, the tool is expected to promote lightenvironments that are both energy-efficient and provide attractive perceptionand comfort.

Large investments are being made by energy companies to provide hydrogen production, distribution, and refuelling infrastructure. It is hence critical to find hydrogen pathways that are efficient and feasible. This means deciding between the usage of liquid hydrogen (LH2) or compressed hydrogen (CGH2) value-chains from production to storage onboard vehicles in some transport segments such as heavy-duty trucks. During the project the as yet unestablished concept of cryo-compressed hydrogen (CcH2) was also considered. The project aimed at identifying the critical challenges and current limitations that impact the widespread use of hydrogen as a fuel for transport applications. It has focused on increasing the knowledge about technologies that can make LH2 or CGH2 infrastructure and vehicle usage more efficient and safer, by assessing the current state of technology as well as maturity and potential of new technologies. Included in this was also a segment focused on the safety of the different alternatives along the later parts of the value-chain. The project as a whole was conducted as a literature study. For the technology maturity in different parts of the value-chain the project has summarized the results in a very high-level categorisation system, see table below The definitions are mainly qualitatively and show where the technologies are in these categories: • Established (Used on a larger scale, ~TRL 9-10) • Proven concept (Demonstrators or soon reaching this stage, ~TRL 7-8) • Initial design (No public demonstrators available, ~TRL 3-6) • Uncertain applicability (Applicability was not established in this work) • Not applicable (Cannot be used for this state of hydrogen) Technological maturity in the hydrogen value-chain The table above also gives an overview of the segments included in the report. In combination with the technological evaluation a qualitative cost analysis of the different hydrogen storage states was also done. Here it is indicated that though LH2 has a higher cost in the initial part of the value-chain, it has lower costs in the end segments. Therefore, it is possible that the end-price for the user will be similar for both LH2 and CGH2. The full cost can be compared first when LH2 refuelling stations and vehicles are publicly built, and cost information is available. The same is true for CcH2. During the safety, regulations and standards pre-study the following was concluded. From a safety perspective, there are no insurmountable barriers with respect to the use of LH2 on-board heavy-duty road vehicles in the medium term, however, there are several challenges to overcome, not least in the short term. Within the EU there are regulations which allow the type-approval of heavy-duty road vehicles with LH2 storage systems. However, these are based on work undertaken 15 - 20 years ago and are widely acknowledged as in need of being updated and validated in the same way that CGH2 road vehicle regulations have been. Similarly, there is a lack of up-to-date industry standards for road vehicle LH2 storage systems. A particular gap is the absence of an up-to-date standard that can be referenced in regulations for the refuelling receptacle geometry. Additionally, for LH2 refilling stations as a whole there are no suitable, up to date international standards, so there is a risk that individual countries set their own requirements. Overall, the project concluded that there are no show-stoppers for the implementation of LH2. It is a feasible value-chain from both the technology, cost and safety perspective. It could also in the future become comparable with the more proven CGH2 value-chain, but some initial hurdles and investments need to be overcome.

Manufacturing companies seek innovative approaches to achieve successful Green and Digital transitions, where adopting lean production is one alternative. However, further investigation is required to formulate the strategy with practical inputs and identify what digital technologies could be applied with which lean principles for environmental benefits. Therefore, this study first conducted a case study in three companies to collect practice-based data. A complementary literature review was then carried out, investigating the existing frameworks and complementing practices of digitalized lean implementations and the resulting environmental impact. Consequently, the Internet of Things and related connection-level technologies were identified as the key facilitators in lean implementations, specifically in visualization, communication, and poka-yoke, leading to environmental benefits. Furthermore, a framework of DIgitalization Supports Environmental sustainability through Lean principles (DISEL) was proposed to help manufacturing companies identify the opportunities of digitalizing lean principles for Environmental sustainability, thus enabling the twin transitions and being resilient. © 2023 The Authors

The extensive needs for developments of eldercare addressing working conditions, care quality, influence, and safety was highlighted during the pandemic. This mixed-method study contribute with knowledge about capability-strengthening development work and its importance for trustworthy managerial work, before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Questionnaire data and narratives from first-line managers immediately before (n = 284) and 16 months into the pandemic (n = 189), structured interviews with development leaders (n = 25), and documents were analyzed. The results identify different focuses of development work. Strategic-level development leaders focused the strengthening of old adults' capabilities. While operational-level leaders approached strengthening employees' capability. First-line managers' rating of their trustworthy managerial work decreased during the pandemic and was associated with their workload, development support and capability-strengthening projects focusing employees' resources. The study demonstrates the gap between strategic and the operational levels regarding understanding of capability set and needed resources for strengthening capabilities and trustworthy, integrated managerial work regarding safety, influence, and quality conditions for old adults and employees. Copyright © 2022 Dellve and Williamsson.

Denna bok baserar sig på de forskningsresultat och erfarenheter som kommit fram inom forskningsprogrammet ”Framtidens återvinningscentral” som är ett multidiciplinärt forskningsprogram som drivits vid Linköpings universitet under åren 2002-2007.Boken vänder sig till alla som är involverade vid planering, byggnation, ombyggnation och drift av återvinningscentraler. Dessa kan vara ansvariga inom kommuner, arkitekter, konsulter, arbetsledare på återvinningscentral, skyddsombud, fackliga förtroendemän med flera.

Standardiserat arbetssätt, STDA, är en av grundstenarna inom modern Produktionsutveckling. Nivån på STDA är resultatet av det grundläggande produktionstekniska arbetet, som i sin tur lägger grunden för den pågående produktionen. STDA ska enkelt uttryckt beskriva det just nu bästa arbetssättet, eller metoden, som är gemensam för alla på arbetsplatsen för att uppfylla de krav som finns på produkten. Metoden har varit känd länge men vår bedömning är att implementeringsgraden är förhållandevis låg inom pressgjuteriindustrin. Syftet med arbetet har varit att få fram förbättringspotentialen med att införa standardiserat arbetssätt och vilka mjuka parametrar som sätter förutsättningarna för en lyckad implementering. I projektet har studierna fokuserat på att följa omställningar av pressgjutmaskiner samt intervjuer av de personer som påverkar en omställning direkt eller indirekt. Resultatet av studierna visar på många potentiella förbättringsområden som skulle vara möjliga att arbeta med om STDA infördes. Mest påtagligt är en bättre utnyttjandegrad i produktionen och en bättre utveckling av de mänskliga resurserna som i sin tur sänker omställningstiden. Resultatet av sådana förbättringar skapar möjligheter för produktionen att genom ökad flexibilitet möta kundbehov med kortare framförhållning utan att höja lagernivåerna.

In order to respond to the challenges in the organisational and social work environment area and to promote a sustainable working life, Scania has developed the dialogue tool called Work Balance (WB) It is research-based and intended to provide support and structure for managers to maintain an in-depth and regular dialogue with employees about their experiences of work situations. The dialogue is structured using four elements – Manageability, Comprehensibility, Meaningfulness and Recovery – and is intended to be used on a voluntary basis in groups or individually. In cooperation with Scania, HELIX has conducted a learning evaluation for Work Balance. The purpose of this learning evaluation was to identify enablers and obstacles to the use of Work Balance and to produce improvement proposals as a basis for Scania’s further development of the dialogue tool. HELIX researchers interviewed 44 employees, first- and second-line managers from production and office environments, from six production units in four countries. These employees used or had chosen not to use the dialogue tool. The results show an overall positive view of Work Balance, of the voluntary use, relevance, adaptability, flexibility and the varied mode of application. However, its use has been discontinued at one production unit where the tool did not work as desired. The implementation varied in terms of clarity of information and training in the tool. The conditions of use varied greatly depending on previous experience, culture and maturity of teams and managers in terms of being open and putting feelings into words. Use also varied between production units. Those who used it regularly were very satisfied, while others who did not see the benefit stopped using Work Balance. In production, the teams were larger, time was more limited, language and questions felt more abstract, and use was perceived as more difficult than in an office environment. Senior managers requesting that it be used tended to result in more sustained use. Perceived effects were: a more open atmosphere, better communication, increased consensus and earlier identification of problems. Many believed in an indirect positive link between Work Balance and key performance indicators. A simpler version of Work Balance was requested, but also better handling of identified problems, where more support and training for managers and teams are needed. A well-developed culture of improvement should be a good basis for a developed dialogue where Work Balance is linked to other tools or methods used in the team’s core processes.

As all technologies come to pass, change by innovation is needed both ways, exploiting current knowledge to do better and exploring new knowledge to do differently. Due to years of continuous improvement (CI), exploitation of current knowledge in production development is rather well investigated, exploration is less. It could be argued that not utilizing the potential explorative operator contributions to production innovation is a lost opportunity to increase a company's innovation capability. Simultaneously, operators are facing great changes when manufacturing is adopting to digitalization and sustainability challenges enhancing the need for production innovation. This study focused on a team of operators through a workshop series of five sessions about explorative activities in a format using structured and semi-structured interviews. The study provided a basis for constructing a model for positioning operators' both digital and explorative maturity level. Through the empirical data and the model, the conclusion is illustrated as alternative pathways to reach a desired level of operator maturity. It was concluded that approaching digital and explorative maturity for operators should be done as a two-step process. Increasing both maturities simultaneously, as with the studied team, showed difficult due to the digital and explorative maturity being co-dependent. The suggested two-step process contributes to a better understanding of prerequisites and opportunities for operators to participate and contribute to production innovation in digitalized work environments, ultimately increasing the company's innovation capability. © 2022 The authors

All municipalities in Sweden offer their inhabitants a service for disposing of large-size and hazardous waste at local recycling centres. Opening hours at these centres include hours of darkness. The aims of this study were to 1) describe user and employee experiences of lighting and signs at Swedish recycling centres, 2) measure and assess the lighting system at the two recently built recycling centres in Linkoping and to assess the legibility and visibility of the signs used and 3) propose recommendations regarding lighting and signs for recycling centres. Interviews and questionnaires were used to assess experiences of employees and users, and light measurements were performed. By observing users, activities with different visual demands at different areas within the recycling centres were identified. Based on the literature, standards and stakeholder experiences, recommendations regarding lighting systems and sign design, illuminance, luminance and uniformity are proposed for recycling centres.

Circular economy is widely embraced as one major path towards sustainability goals by contributing to resource efficiency and reaching climate targets. The research need at hand lies in how to implement changes. To achieve a circular system, design for recirculation is advised when introducing new products and production processes. However, in practical applications it is a challenge to foresee the complex nature of a real circular production system with many stakeholders in a system in transition. Product systems are embedded in a use context, where the user is a key stakeholder. Collection and systematization of experience and ideas from the field is here a key. This research draws on the experiences of assessing and improve circulation in industrial practice deploying the Recirculation Strategies Decision Tree and the Eco-design-strategy-wheel. Through two case studies, practitioners have been supported in action to evaluate their products and production processes in term of circularity. Cases showed a process from current status and recirculation challenges to a more circular future state in production and end of life was scrutinized. As a result, emphasis differed between the two tools. The Eco strategy wheel supported product design phase with an engineering perspective, The Recirculation Strategies Decision Tree on end-of-life phase with a market perspective. Common for both tools was the dependency on user or operator's handling. Outcome from this study is to emphasise the importance on social dimension in CE/user role in a circular product system. The interactive, user centered research with manufacturing companies is suggested for development to effectively close product loops. 

This study was conducted in order to analyse checkout cashiers’ movements at a checkout counter during interaction with customers and the prevalence of work-related stress and musculoskeletal disorders in checkout cashiers. In one shop, six cashiers were videotaped during the workday, and 50 cashiers from seven shops from the same chain of stores responded a questionnaire. Cashier activities and movements, customer interaction and counter design issues were analysed from the video data. Prevalence of work-related stress and musculoskeletal disorders was obtained from the questionnaire. It was found that 76% of all items were manually turned or angled. With a better adjustment of the scanner and a standardised positioning of the EAN-code, many of these movements could be avoided. Furthermore the prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders was quite high (68% for the neck). The questionnaire results showed that many cashiers experienced stress, giving a high percentage of cashiers in the “dedication under pressure” group. The behaviour of the customers was the major cause of stress. Other sources of stress arose from bad design or function of the computer system or other technical equipment. Relevance to industry: In this study several problems regarding cashier work were identified and solutions, relevant to counter and package designers, shop managers and cashiers are suggested. Data obtained on cashier movements and prevalence of musculoskeletal disorders are given.

Additive manufacturing, a technology that has evolved significantly over the last few decades, has shifted from prototyping to final product manufacturing. Despite its potential in design flexibility and customisation, its implementation in industrial ecosystems often faces challenges, especially in companies with established traditional manufacturing methods. This paper explores additive manufacturing beyond the printing process, drawing insights from the DIDAM project in Swedish manufacturing companies. It maps the advantages of additive manufacturing to external factors influencing its success such as digital infrastructure. This mapping yields “risk factors” for its implementation. These factors are based on empirical observations from the DIDAM project to identify potential failure modes, assess risks, and provide a snapshot view of critical issues. This objective evaluation aims to support managers in evaluating the risks associated with additive manufacturing’s integration into a company’s manufacturing ecosystem, based on empirical findings in industrial cases as reported in the DIDAM Digital Model Guide (Digital Model Guide, 2023).

Purpose: Resistance is expected to emerge with the implementation and use of new technologies in production systems. This work focuses on identifying sources of resistance to the use of Industry 4.0 technologies when managing production disturbances and suitable managerial approaches to deal with them. Design/methodology/approach: A qualitative approach was chosen in this research. The authors conducted a literature review and a series of interviews. Thirty-one papers from the literature review were analysed, and 16 people from five different companies were interviewed. Findings: The authors identified five different sources of resistance and three managerial approaches to dealing with them. The sources of resistance were based on (1) feelings of over-supervision, (2) unclear values, (3) feelings of inadequacy, (4) concerns about loss of power and jobs and (5) work overload. The three approaches to dealing with resistance are (1) communication, (2) participation and (3) training. Originality/value: This work identifies the sources and strategies to deal with resistance to the use of Industry 4.0 technologies in the management of production disturbances. The managerial literature in this area is limited, and to the authors's knowledge, the specific sources for resistance and strategies to deal with that in this topic have not been systematically investigated before.

Half of manufacturing companies' production capacity is estimated to be compromised due to disturbances. With the upcoming Industry 4.0, this problem is expected to be minimized through technological solutions. The aim of this article is to propose alternatives to handle production disturbances by means of technological support, to minimize their occurrence and impacts. To this purpose, we conducted a literature review and a series of interviews with five companies. We distinguish six stages for handling production disturbances: Detection, diagnosis, mitigation/correction, root cause analysis, prevention, and prediction. Our results indicate that all these stages are expected to benefit from Industry 4.0 technologies significantly. Furthermore, our results point out that practitioners perceive the stages of prevention and prediction with the highest potential for improvement. However, focus on the diagnosis and root cause analysis stages is also necessary since those stages are coupled to the prevention and prediction. The contributions of this article are twofold. Firstly, it provides a holistic view of the stages and technologies to handle production disturbances in Industry 4.0, from which practitioners can extract directions for implementation. Secondly, the paper provides focus for further research in the field of disturbance management with the identification of the current challenges

Assembly is crucial in the automotive industry, and regulations aimed to increase circularity impact the production systems. From this perspective different strategies are emerging related to sustainability and to the End-of-life Vehicles directive, perspectives often captured by “R-words” like Reuse, Recycle, Rethink etc. This paper is based on a literature search inspired by different R-words related to circularity and assembly in the automotive industry in combination with industrial workshops on the same theme. The results explore what challenges to manage during the ongoing green transition in the context of assembly in automotive. Recover, Repair, Reuse and Recycle are the most common terms found in the literature. Furthermore, Remanufacturing stands out as of particular interest to the automotive industry. However, based on the industrial workshops, Rethink as a collective word is an important perspective as well. The conclusions indicate that digitalization can be an enabler but also that there is a need for developing a common understanding about definitions and utilization of engineering tools supporting circularity. 

The redeposition of lignin to the fiber surface after organosolv pretreatment was studied using two different reactor types. Results from the conventional autoclave reactor suggest that redeposition occurs during the cooling down stage. Redeposited particles appeared to be spherical in shape. The size and population density of the particles depends on the concentration of organosolv lignin in the cooking liquor, which is consistent with the hypothesis that reprecipitation of lignin occurs when the system is cooled down. The use of a displacement reactor showed that displacing the spent cooking liquor with fresh cooking liquor helps in reducing the redeposition and the inclusion of a washing stage with fresh cooking liquor reduced the reprecipitation of lignin, particularly on the outer fiber surfaces. Redeposition of lignin was still observed on regions that were less accessible to washing liquid, such as fiber lumens, suggesting that complete prevention of redeposition was not achieved. © 2022 The Authors. 

This paper explores the challenges and opportunities of managing supply chain data for environmental sustainability and resilience in the automotive and vehicle manufacturing industry. It presents empirics from measuring and improving the climate footprint, based on data from interviews and workshops with original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and suppliers, and compares concepts of resilience of supply chains. The paper focuses on the early phases of supply chain interaction, such as supplier selection and request for quota, when specific product data is often unavailable or estimated. It discusses the trade-offs and conflicts between the needs and availability of climate footprint and related supplier data, such as localization, energy supply, material supply and transportation. It also highlights the importance of data regarding recycled contents, materials, and energy in the supply chain. The paper is connected to projects funded by the EU and Vinnova that aim to enhance the competitive sustainability and resilience of the industry.

The purpose of this article is to empirically investigate the present state of the performance measurement systems (PMS) at 7 sites of 6 different large Swedish manufacturing companies. The methodology has both a bottom-up and a top-down perspective. Important findings are that the PMSs are very similar in how they function but differ a lot in what is measured.

The increased mass-customisation of production requires operators to manage an increasing number of complex work tasks. From a social sustainability perspective, better sharing and dissemination of production information supports operators cognitively to manage and understand their work tasks, which in turn improves quality of work. So, the focus of this paper is to study how production planning meetings can be improved. Previous research suggests that the MEET model can be used as a framework for improving meetings and information sharing by studying 10 different areas within a company’s Organisation System (OS) and Information System (IS) whilst considering the time and place prerequisites and aims for these meetings. In this paper, the applicability of the MEET model and its 10 areas are tested at a small production company by applying two different approaches. First, a questionnaire was presented to and filled out by a manager, the results of the questionnaire identifies the improvement potential of each of the 10 areas. Second, a comprehensive current-state analysis based on observations on the shop-floor and interviews with operators were carried out with regards to the 10 areas. The results from these two approaches were compared and the comparison showed that both approaches point towards similar areas for potential improvements. This paper concludes that the MEET model can be used as a general framework to inspire change by suggesting areas with potential improvement in information sharing. While the selfassessment questionnaire can identify a direction, additional information and involvement of other stakeholders are recommended for actual implementations of change. For future research, the methods based on the MEET model will be further developed to improve accuracy and the suggestions provided to the case company in this paper will be tested as a validation of the model.

Increased demands for circularity in manufacturing industry put pressure on transformation in order to meet the Sustainable Development Goals. Small-and-medium-sized-enterprises (SME)'s have an important role, supplying value chains with material and components for larger companies and original-equipment-manufacturers (OEMs). SME suppliers' net environmental footprint contributes to the OEM's overall footprint, however, SME suppliers are characterized by limited resources and competence to perform circularity activities. SME net environmental footprint consists of both production related targets combined with product related targets. Circular product performance evaluation have raised a demand for easy-to-use, self-assisting tools as a complement or substitute for standardised life-cycle-assessment (LCA) methods, often considered as costly with advanced calculations, and highlights the need for the development of accessible tools and guides that support the SMEs' circularity work. An established industrial tool based on previous research called the Green Performance Map (GPM), has successfully been used to assist circularity performance in production operations. This paper sets out to test the GPM tool in a new setting, addressing circularity in an extended value chain context, including three main areas; production and sourcing, product use and product end-of-life. The research presented is based on an in-depth case study with an interactive research approach and aims to explore how to reach a full value chain perspective on circularity in production. The result indicates that a joint and inclusive collaboration centred on the adapted GPM-tool, identifies and structures circular production principles as well as product use and end-of-life performance as a basis for evaluation. Findings from research study show that a comprehensive input-output tool could be used with limited competence and time, achieve increased employee awareness of circularity in the product value chain. This single case study brings a small empirical contribution to existing literature on SME circular production transformation, however it clearly shows on the urgency to evaluate circularity along the value chain in order to support a full industrial circular production transformation.

Background: In the strive towards a circular economy, metal waste recycling is a growing industry. During the recycling process, particulate matter containing toxic and allergenic metals will be emitted to the air causing unintentional exposure to humans and environment. Objective: In this study detailed characterization of particle emissions and workplace exposures were performed, covering the full size range from 10 nm to 10 µm, during recycling of three different material flows: Waste of electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), metal scrap, and cables. Methods: Both direct-reading instruments (minute resolution), and time-integrated filter measurements for gravimetric and chemical analysis were used. Additionally, optical sensors were applied and evaluated for long-term online monitoring of air quality in industrial settings. Results: The highest concentrations, in all particle sizes, and with respect both to particle mass and number, were measured in the WEEE flow, followed by the metal scrap flow. The number fraction of nanoparticles was high for all material flows (0.66–0.86). The most abundant metals were Fe, Al, Zn, Pb and Cu. Other elements of toxicological interest were Mn, Ba and Co. Significance: The large fraction of nanoparticles, and the fact that their chemical composition deviate from that of the coarse particles, raises questions that needs to be further addressed including toxicological implications, both for humans and for the environment. © 2023 The Authors

Förstudiens uppdrag har varit att ta fram en prototyp för Ett samlat hälsoutbud, närmare definiera vad prototypen innebär, samt att beskriva organisering av Ett samlat hälsoutbud och det ekosystem som det existerar i. Tyngdpunkten skulle ligga på att ta fram en prototyp av en plattform, dvs en visualisering av Ett samlat hälsosutbud och hur detta ska kunna möta invånarna. Prototypen skulle sedan kunna användas som diskussionsunderlag för att komma vidare, både i interna diskussioner inom Region Skåne och med andra intressenter – såsom kommuner, näringslivsaktörer och medborgare. För att avgränsa uppdraget beslöts att förstudien skulle kopplas till de riktade hälsosamtalen som införts i Region Skåne och hur Ett samlat hälsoutbud kan möta de behov och krav som uppstår i detta sammanhang. Under förstudien har Ett samlat hälsoutbud utvecklats till att ses som en vision där både en plattform (prototyp) och organisering ingår i samma ekosystem. Därmed har organisering och finansieringsstruktur för Ett samlat hälsoutbud också varit viktiga delar. Likaså har definition av mätbara mål som man vill uppnå varit en central del. Ett samlat hälsoutbud innebär alltså mycket mer än en plattform, digital eller inte.

Defects during production may lead to material waste, which is a significant challenge for many companies as it reduces revenue and negatively impacts sustainability and the environment. An essential reason for material waste is a low degree of automation, especially in industries that currently have a low degree of digitalization, such as steel forging. Those industries typically rely on heavy and old machinery such as large induction ovens that are mostly controlled manually or using well-known recipes created by experts. However, standard recipes may fail when unforeseen events happen, such as an unplanned stop in production, which may lead to overheating and thus material degradation during the forging process. In this paper, we develop a digital twin-based optimization strategy for the heating process for a forging line to automate the development of an optimal control policy that adjusts the power for the heating coils in an induction oven based on temperature data observed from pyrometers. We design a digital twin-based deep reinforcement learning (DTRL) framework and train two different deep reinforcement learning (DRL) models for the heating phase using a digital twin of the forging line. The twin is based on a simulator that contains a heating transfer and movement model, which is used as an environment for the DRL training. Our evaluation shows that both models significantly reduce the temperature unevenness and can help to automate the traditional heating process. © 2022 The authors

Purpose: This research aims to identify and organise the conditions of organisational readiness for digital transformation. Design/methodology/approach: This qualitative study comprises three case studies within manufacturing companies from different sizes and industries located in Sweden. Plant visits and in-depth interviews bring to light companies' experiences with initial steps towards digital transformation. A set of conditions for digital organisational readiness was translated into a questionnaire and tested with one of the studied companies. Findings: This paper organises and tests digital organisational readiness conditions to support companies' initial steps on digital transformation. The results are put in perspective of established change management theory and previous studies about digital transformation. The findings will conclude in a questionnaire to support dialogue and digital organisational readiness assessments. Research limitations/implications: Additional conditions for the initial phase of digital transformation could possibly be found if more cases had been included in the study. Practical implications: The article identifies a set of conditions translated into a questionnaire that should be used as a dialogue tool to create strategic alignment and support companies in their initial discussions. If this process can be faster and more efficient, the company can achieve a competitive advantage against competitors. Originality/value: This research's relevance relies on the fact that companies are advancing in adopting digital technologies without being ready from an organisational perspective. This gap creates barriers for companies' digital maturing processes, stopping them from having full access to digital technologies' benefits. © 2021, Carla Gonçalves Machado, Mats Winroth, Peter Almström, Anna Ericson Öberg, Martin Kurdve and Sultan AlMashalah.

To form an inclusive and sustainable society, workplace design that can be used by different individuals, regardless of sex, language, background, and body function variations is needed. Such workplaces can also give economic benefits to companies if they provide a more accessible, safer, more productive and error proofed working environment. This aim of this paper is to evaluate a universal design concept developed at a company aiming at providing an 'easy job'-workplace design for manual industrial operations. The study investigated key factors from 8 interviews and compared it to theoretical constructs such as WHO's ICIDH-2. A synthesis was formed that included the following factors: personal factors, environmental factors and outcomes of universal work. The study has resulted in new insights regarding universal workplace design and the vision is that the synthesis can be used by other production companies that want to increase the universal design in assembly work. © 2022 The authors

Designing production equipment considering lean and related sustainability requirements may be a major factor in achieving productiveness through lean implementation. The objective of the study is to investigate the impact of lean production requirements on equipment design and how the lean requirements affects early design phases and global footprint. Data collection method includes literature review and in depth interviews with equipment users. The results provide support to importance of considering green and lean requirements in designing of production equipment by introducing important lean design factors for production equipment. These factors are designing simple equipment, error-proofing, being portable and flexible, supporting one piece flow, supporting short setup time, easy and reliable maintenance, supporting the operator interface with machine, safety of the operator, supporting production processes and layouts, energy efficiency, easy to operate, minimum cost, visualization, straight flows, teamwork, standardization, quality assurance, using pervious experiences, easy to clean, and easy to control. 

Designing products that can adapt to changes over time is crucial for managing product-related business risks in circular business models. However, there is limited circular economy research on how product adaptivity can contribute to more circular products and business models, especially in the early phases of business development and design. To address this research gap, this conceptual paper builds on the adaptable design concept and incorporates ideas from research on circular business models and circular design literature. It proposes a framework we collectively term “Future Adaptive Design” to help manage product-related business risks in circular business models and investigates related design strategies for product-based companies aiming to adopt circular business models.

Rapidly evolving needs of shippers, rising competition, advancement in digital technologies and a quest to increase cost and operational efficiencies are all driving the digital transformation of maritime logistics. However, in contrast to other industries such as media, telecom, banking, retail and even other traffic modes, the often family-controlled and network-centric liner shipping industry has historically been conservative in adopting innovations; hence, it is still far behind in embracing digitalization. Based on semi-structured interviews with senior executives of liner shipping companies, this study explores the current digital maturity levels, the opportunities provided by digitalization and the underlying challenges that hinder its implementation in the liner shipping segment within the larger maritime logistics industry and identifies the essential leading strategies of digitalization in this segment. The digital maturity categories applied to liner shipping provide an opportunity for practitioners in this industry to evaluate their business functions’ digital maturity levels. Furthermore, based on interview data, digital transformation for the maritime logistics industry is defined, as well as 9 major barriers and 19 different pathways to digital transformation are identified. Understanding the key challenges and success factors in the industry is a key to approaching digitalization problems and developing a healthy digital transformation process. © 2022 The Authors

The production of large-scale products is currently undergoing a considerable shift in the manufacturing sector in favor of additive manufacturing (AM). Complex structures and elaborate designs that were previously impossible to produce using conventional manufacturing techniques are now possible thanks to the usage of additive printing technology. At the same time, using recycled materials in the production process has also risen to the top of the industry’s priority list as a result of a growing focus on sustainability. In this context, the use of recycled polymer composites in large-scale additive manufacturing (LSAM) is beginning to attract attention from both industry and research. Indeed, recycled polymer composites offer several benefits, including not only lower costs but also significantly reduced environmental impact and improved mechanical properties compared to virgin polymer materials. However, several challenges are still associated with using recycled materials in AM, including issues with material properties and compatibility with the AM process. Perhaps the most difficult polymer for AM is nylon where different grades pose different printing properties and challenges, thus printing large-scale objects in recycled nylon is a challenge that few have taken on. One objective of our project is to improve the properties of recycled polymers for LSAM by investigating how different additives, such as mineral wastes and/or recycled short fibers, influence the LSAM process and the properties of the resulting printed object. One way to achieve this objective is by simulating the AM process where we use ABAQUS AM capabilities that enable us to optimize the process and material parameters. Thermal and mechanical analyses using the element activation technique in ABAQUS AM allow us to implement multi-scale multi-physical models for material and process simulation and ensure that the final product meets the desired mechanical and structural properties. To truly reach a circular economy, a systems-level transformation of manufacturing must be achieved [1]. Our vision is to digitally transform manufacturing by turning recycled polymers and other industrial wastes into secondary raw materials and composites for LSAM of final products. However, further research on different industrial use cases and applications is needed to address the remaining challenges associated with this approach and to fully realize its potential in the manufacturing industry. 

In sawmilling, a lot of timber properties are measured online in the sorting and grading of dried timber. This may include moisture content, shape, and a host of other parameters. An important wood property that cannot be measured online is drying stresses, although it is an important parameter for many customers. Since the destructive test methods for stress determination are time consuming, no high frequency routine measurement of the internal stresses is done.

In literature, there are a few examples of near infrareds (NIR) capability to detect surface stresses along the fiber direction. There is also an example of stress measurements across the grain on a Japanese wood specie during drying, however, these measurements were always done on a tangential surface. It is unknown whether NIR prediction models can predict surface tension and stress measurements across the grain of dried Norway spruce with varying characteristics, i.e. material from different logs, heart- or sapwood, different year ring orientations, etc. If the technique cannot handle the variation in material properties, such as occurs in a sawmill environment, this means that a simple NIR measurement would not be sufficient to predict the surface tension in industry.

This study investigated whether surface stresses in mechanically loaded as well as dried spruce samples with varying material properties can be predicted by NIR models. The measurement data from some mechanically loaded samples showed a correlation between the predicted and actual stress values, but many other samples showed no correlation. Moreover, the data for a single sample could show a good correlation, but the prediction could be at an incorrect stress level.

As for the dried samples, NIR models were good at separating the conditioned and non-conditioned samples, but had no predictive power concerning the stress level. The models used to predict the stress level in mechanically loaded samples, were also used to predict the stress in the dried samples, but there was no correlation between the measured strain and the predicted stress level. Therefore, it is concluded that there are no clear indication that NIR measurements can be used in an industrial application for predicting the surface stress level of dried Norway spruce boards.

SP, Innventia och Luleås Tekniska Universitet har genomfört en förstudie där man undersökte om nära-infrarött (NIR) data kan bidra till säkrare hållfasthetsbestämning av virke. För att göra det behövdes förutom NIR-data, dels data som konventionellt används i sågverk för att göra hållfasthets-uppskattningar, dels referensdata från mekanisk provning.

Följande data samlades in från 100 granplankor med dimensionen 3600*150*45 mm3:

1. mått, vikt, och därmed densitet,

2. egenfrekvenser via dynamisk excitering,

3. högupplösta NIR-bilder på 2 flatsidor av varje planka,

4. RGB och fibervinkeldata från flat- och kantsidorna,

5. röntgentomografibilder,

6. förstörande böjtestdata, med bestämning av lokal och global E-modul, och

7. kvalitativ inventering av brottyp och kvistposition.

Databasen är i sig en värdefull resurs och en god grund för fortsatt forskning och utveckling mot kun-skap och tillämpningar baserat på information som hittills inte utvärderats och nyttjats.

Virkesegenskaper som påverkar hållfasthet, såsom tjurved, kunde identifieras och visualiseras. Andra egenskaper som är viktiga hållfasthetsindikatorer, såsom egenfrekvens och densitet, kunde predikteras med multivariata modeller baserade på NIR-spektraldata. Inledande modellförsök visar att det går att prediktera global E-modul med multivariata modeller baserade på NIR-spektraldata med ungefärlig samma precision som industriell hållfasthetsbedömning med dynamisk excitering. De NIR-data som användes i modelleringen var dock bara medelvärden över hela plankan. Därför finns det god potential för bättre prediktion med mer riktade variabler, som speglar de spatiala variationerna i varje planka, t.ex. runt kvistar, vilket blir ämnet för ett eventuellt fortsättningsprojekt.

Projektet finansierades av Norrskogs Forskningsstiftelse, Stiftelsen Åforsk, Träcentrum Norr, och Södra Skogsägarnas Stiftelse för Forskning, Utveckling och Utbildning. Individer som medverkade i projektet inkluderar Gerhard Scheepers, Jörgen Olsson, Anders Lycken, Sven-Olof Lundqvist och Thomas Grahn (RISE Bioekonomi); och Olle Hagman (LTU). RemaSawco och JGA i Linneryd hjälpte också med insamlingen av fibervinkeldata.

Remanufacturing is one of the main practices toward a circular economy and industrial sustainability. Remanufacturing is highly dependent on how circular products are designed and developed. Remanufacturing can also benefit from automation for efficiency, accuracy and flexibil-ity. This paper, via a multiple case study, connects the three areas of remanufacturing, product design and automation and investigates how circular product design can facilitate automation reman-ufacturing processes. First, circular product design guidelines are discussed with regard to reman-ufacturing. Second, potential areas for automation at three remanufacturers of electric and electronic equipment are pinpointed. Finally, design guidelines are connected to the identified potential automation areas in each remanufacturing process and discussed together. According to our results, the main incentives for automating remanufacturing processes are mainly related to the work environ-ment, efficiency and quality. In addition, several design guidelines can facilitate automated reman-ufacturing processes; for instance, the standardization of components, fasteners and remanufactur-ing tools across different models and brands can also facilitate automated remanufacturing, where products can easily and nondestructively be disassembled by a robot or a machine. © 2021 by the authors.

Improved material efficiency is a key to improve the circular economy and capturing value in industry. Material efficiency reduces the generation of industrial waste, the extraction and consumption of resources, and energy demands and carbon emissions. However, material efficiency in the manufacturing sector, as a means of improving the recyclability, reusability, reduction and prevention of industrial waste, is little understood. This study aims to investigate, on a micro-level, further material efficiency improvement opportunities, barriers and strategies in selected manufacturing companies in Sweden, focusing on increasing waste segregation into high quality circulated raw material. Improvement opportunities at large global manufacturing companies are investigated; barriers hindering material efficiency improvement are identified and categorized at two levels; and strategies that have been deployed at manufacturing companies are reviewed. Empirical findings reveal (1) further potential for improving material efficiency through higher segregation of residual material from mixed and low quality fractions (on average, 26% of the content of combustible waste, in weight, was plastics; 8% and 6% were paper and cardboard, respectively); (2) the most influential barriers are within budgetary, information, management, employee, engineering, and communication clusters; (3) a lack of actual material efficiency strategy implementation in the manufacturing companies. According to our analysis, the majority of barriers are internal and originate within the manufacturing companies, therefore they can be managed (and eradicated if possible) with sufficient resources in terms of man hours, education and investment, better operational and environmental (waste) management, better internal communication and information sharing, and deployment of material efficiency strategies.

The digital battery passport is an essential driver of sustainable production and circular economy as it enables storing and tracking data for batteries throughout the whole value chain. The BatWoMan project is paving the way towards carbon-neutral Li-ion battery cell production via new sustainable and cost-efficient methods, and by building a prototype for a digital battery passport. In this article, we outline the concept of the battery passport, including the status of relevant regulations, standards and initiatives. We then present the BatWoMan project and its design for a battery dataspace and passport. We describe relevant stakeholders and their interactions within the data space and introduce the system architecture, which is based on the International Data Spaces and Gaia-X frameworks. Finally, limitations of the research outcome are presented. © 2023 IDIMT 2023: New Challenges for ICT and Management - 31st Interdisciplinary Information Management Talks. All rights reserved.

Purpose: Manufacturing companies struggle to manage production disturbances. One step of such management deals with prioritising those disturbances which should undergo root cause analysis. The focus of this work is on two areas. First, investigating current challenges faced by manufacturing companies when prioritising root cause analysis of production disturbances. Second, identifying the stakeholders and factors impacted by production disturbances. Understanding the current challenges and identifying impacted stakeholders and factors allows the development of more efficient prioritisation strategies and, thus, contributes to the reduction of frequency and impact of disturbances. Design/methodology/approach: To achieve the intended purpose of this research, a qualitative approach was chosen. A series of interviews was conducted with practitioners, to identify current challenges. A series of focus groups was also held, to identify the impacted stakeholders and factors by disturbances. Findings: Various challenges were identified. These are faced by manufacturing companies in their prioritisation of production disturbances and relate to the time needed, criteria used, centralisation of the process, perspective considered and data support. It was also found that a wide range of stakeholders is impacted by production disturbances, surpassing the limits of production and maintenance departments. Furthermore, the most critical factors impacted are quality, work environment, safety, time, company results, customer satisfaction, productivity, deliverability, resource utilisation, profit, process flow, plannability, machine health and reputation. Originality/value: The current situation regarding root cause analysis prioritisation has not been identified in previous works. Moreover, there has been no prior systematic identification of the various stakeholders and factors impacted by production disturbances. © 2021, Adriana Soares Ito, Torbjörn Ylipää, Per Gullander, Jon Bokrantz and Anders Skoogh.

An evacuation experiment was carried out at the Äspö Hard Rock Laboratory in March 2018 to investigate human behaviour during evacuation in underground facilities via escape routes with long ascending tunnels. The objective of the experiment was to collect data that could be used as a basis for evacuation risk and safety assessments in underground tunnels and other large infrastructure projects related to e.g., mining. In total, 32 participants individually ascended the 907 m long tunnel with an inclination of 14%. During the evacuation, each participant's walking speed, vertical walking speed, heart rate and estimated physical exertion was documented. The measured walking speeds were found to be higher than the walking speeds obtained in previous experiments, but the vertical walking speeds were lower. The strategy of 44% of the participants was to adjust their walking speed to a pace they thought could be maintained over a longer distance. The results of this experiment show that the walking speed decreased as the level of perceived exertion increased. Moreover, the results indicate that the walking speed and the level of perceived exertion stabilized during the movement along the tunnel. © 2022 The Author(s)

This paper describes two ways of mapping engineering processes in product development—Value Stream Mapping (VSM) and a simplified variant of VSM—which are compared with Process Mapping (PM). PM is closely related to VSM but applied differently although the goal—to identify possible process improvements—is often the same. The results of the study indicate that simplified ways of doing VSM are the most feasible. They are easier to get started with, they have a higher potential for improvement of the process and one gets an instant overview of the mapped process. Further, it is more likely that the improvement will be implemented when the users are committed through their involvement in the mapping process.

Experiment och preliminära simuleringar har genomförts på en speciell kärna som är formad som ett U med ett antal olika ventilkonfigurationer. Kalibrering av simuleringarna har genomförts för att efterlikna experimenten. Tryckmätning har också genomförts för jämförelse mellan experiment och simulering. Den generella CFD-koden Flow-3D har använts vid simuleringarna. I Flow-3D finns sedan 2010 en fysikalisk modell för att hantera flöden av en mix av sand/luft. Resultaten visar på att det är viktigt med kalibreing av Flow-3D för att få överensstämmande resulat.

To be competitive, it is widely recognized that manufacturing companies need attention on sustainability aspects. However, there is still a lack of knowledge about how to combine requirements on sustainability and profitability to achieve long-term competitive manufacturing. Furthermore, there is a need for knowledge on how to develop resilient and sustainable production systems. This paper aims to explore the state-of-the art and state-of-practice associated with development of resilient and sustainable production systems, with focus on challenges and enablers. To achieve the aim of the paper, a traditional literature review was carried out, combined with results from knowledge creation workshops with five manufacturing companies striving towards resilient and sustainable production systems. In the paper, initial results from a three-year research project are included. The research project aims at developing knowledge that can support development of resilient and sustainable production systems, including the value chain, for the future. The industrial relevance of the project lies in ensuring a future-proof adaptable factory in an efficient industrial value chain, based on circularity in terms of minimum waste and long-term overall sustainability with a triple bottom line perspective, including social, ecological, and long-term economic values. © 2022 The authors 

For centuries, the maritime industry has continually upgraded its information sources and processing capabilities to improve safety, efficiency, and reliability. The global positioning system and satellite communication have become essential information sources for modern navigation in the digital era. Today, shipping is a capital, energy, and information-intensive industry. This article introduces the discipline of Maritime Informatics, which studies the application of information systems to increasing the efficiency, safety, and ecological sustainability of the world’s shipping industry. The shipping industry's future depends on digitisation, digital data exchange standards, collaborative decision-making, and spatial-temporal analytics.

During machining the accumulated bulk stresses induced by previous shape forming process steps, such as forging, casting or additive manufacturing and subsequent heat treatment, will be released and cause undesirable geometry errors on the final component. By considering the residual stresses during process planning a significant improvement in dimensional accuracy can be achieved. This paper presents experiences for prediction of residual stresses for components with complex geometries using the Contour method. Three sectioning procedures have been tested and a cutting strategi using Electric Discharge Machining with slow feed rate and cutting from two sides with final cut in the middle is proposed. Two Finite Element modelling strategies for 3D-models have been tested and a meshing strategy based on extrusion of the geometry from the cut plane is recommended. Further, a procedure to automate the Finite Element meshing of complex structures using the Alpha Shape algorithm is proposed. The ambition is to integrate this algorithm in procedures for automatization of the entire analysis. © 2022 The authors 

There are trade-offs between cost and capabilities throughout specification, implementation and operation of automated solutions in manufacturing companies. This chapter describes four identified dilemmas or contradictions while balancing flexibility to automation, based on an empirical study with interviews and workshop in five internationally competitive manufacturing companies. The study generated insights on experienced challenges while implementing automated solutions in manufacturing, and these apparent conflicts between automated solutions and maintaining a high operational flexibility need to be managed as manufacturing automation will continue to increase on all levels. © 2017, Springer International Publishing AG.

Although scholars and practitioners are actively discussing the potential benefits of introducing Internet of Thing (IoT) in production, IoT is still as an expensive solution in terms of investment and high technological threshold. Manufacturing companies seek a simpler and lower-cost approach to adopting IoT technologies in production, allowing companies to take advantage of the knowledge and innovation capabilities of people close to shop floor operations. This paper introduces the concept of “Karakuri IoT” – simple and low-cost IoT-aided improvements driven by the people close to shop floor operations. A pre-study is conducted to examine the feasibility of the concept. This paper presents the results of the pre-study.