Using conventional manufacturing methods for industrialising the production at a start-up company

Sammanfattning: This project was initiated in collaboration with a start-up company in the solar cell industry, aiming at producing organic photo voltaic cells in a roll-to-roll process. The company is currently undergoing a transformation from a process validation stage towards a small-scale pilot production, with the goal to reach a steady state production during Q1 2020. To achieve their goals, the company wants to increase the degree of industrialisation within their production. The undertaken approach during the project was therefore divided into the following steps: 1. Identify challenges faced in the production. 2. Perform a literature review. 3. Target the challenges by implementing conventional methods used within the manufacturing industry. 4. Launch a production stress test to get experience from a continuous production flow and to validate the new production status. 5. Evaluate test results. In step 2, the chosen methods were KPIs, stand-up meetings, standardisation, production planning and scheduling, FMEA and flow simulation. Furthermore, general conclusions concerning the applicability and utility of the methods, at this early stage of a production were investigated. The production test consisted of having three consecutive rolls going thru the production. When evaluating the test results and the applicability and utility of the chosen methods, following conclusions were drawn: • KPIs and production stand-up meetings are considered as useful at this early stage. • Standardisation, FMEA and production planning and scheduling are useful, but not necessary at this early stage. • Flow simulation is currently not necessary. When a company starts its transformation from having a research based small-scale lab production towards an industrialised high-volume production, an additional perspective must be applied. Most important were therefore the change in mind-set, occurring as an effect caused by the synergies arising when all methods were used combined.