Redesigning a cost-planning process for automotive production ramp-ups using lean systems thinking
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School of Engineering |
Master's thesis
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Authors
Date
2024-11-29
Department
Major/Subject
Zero Defect Manufacture for a Circular Economy
Mcode
Degree programme
Master's Programme in Manufacturing
Language
en
Pages
75
Series
Abstract
The thesis redesigned a planning process for workforce staffing during production ramp-ups for a German vehicle manufacturer, creating a proposal to improve process reliability and stakeholder collaboration across multiple locations in the production network. Designed as an exploratory case study, Lean Systems Thinking and Change Management methodologies guided the data collection and analysis. Incorporating evidence from work instructions, expert interviews and workshops, the thesis captured diverse stakeholder perspectives and uncovered underlying organisational structures. Objective-driven measures were derived by identifying key challenges such as computational methods, resource allocation for ramp-up activities, and conflict of interest. The improvement measures were then prioritised with an impact-effort matrix, which guided the prototype development for an early cost estimation tool using a sensitivity analysis and the detailed exploration of measures focusing on process stability. Based on the insights, an integrated solution framework for an ideal scenario was presented, which built the basis for the stakeholder agreement. The framework further provided the company with a two-step implementation roadmap, beginning with process stabilisation through the standardisation of computational methods, followed by long-term process simplification to achieve the proposed redesigned cost-planning system.Description
Supervisor
Salmi, MikaThesis advisor
Kahrimanidis, AlexanderKeywords
automotive ramp-up, systems thinking, change management, lean management, sensitivity analysis, factory staff