Hantering av orderspecifika komponenter : En fallstudie utförd vid ett tillverkande företag

Sammanfattning: Purpose– The purpose with the study is to with help of value stream mapping identify problem areas and wastes connected to the handling of order specific components. To be able to answer the purpose the following two research questions was formulated.   -      Which activities is non-value adding with the internal handling of order specific components?  -      Why does the non-value adding activities exist with the handling of order specific components? Method– Theories connected to value stream mapping was gathered to answer both of the studies research questions. Theory regarding Lean manufacturing, value stream mapping, customer order driven production, production strategies, information flow and working environment was necessary to build a solid ground for the study’s analysis. The study was designed as a case study where data was gathered from the business case. Data was gathered through interviews, observations and document studies which resulted in the data that the analysis was built from. To answer the research questions booth data and theory was analysed through pattern comparison. Findings– The findings of the first research question present different activities connected to the value stream for the order specific components that do not add any value to the customer. The activities could be; various labelling that leading to inappropriate processing, late deliveries resulting in waiting time and correction of existing products demanding rework. In order to make it possible to find out why the non-value adding activities exist the study shows that knowledge about primary causes to waste is required. These primary causes resulting in waste in the value stream could be poor working conditions, communication problems and the lack of sufficient technical knowledge. The principle based on analysing why the non-value adding activities exist by analysing the primary causes connected to it states to be general, but details regarding waste is business case unique. Implications– The study theoretically contributes to how a value stream mapping can be performed to be able to map the value flow and deal with the wastes from order specific components. Because the report builds on earlier research it can be seen as a reference at implementation of a value stream mapping at a manufacturing company. Practically the study contributes to map and identify wastes at a manufacturing company that operates through a customer order driven production. Practically knowledge about how the theory can be used to identify why non-value adding activities exist can also be found in the study. Limitations– The main purpose of the study aims to identify non-value adding activities, not necessarily coming up with prepositions on how to eliminate them. The delimitations states that the study is limited to investigate the value stream for order specific components which is bought straight from the supplier, not other components at the factory.