Swedish Automotive Industry Research Articles

Efficient Simulation of Convective Ovens in Automotive Paintshops

Abstract Heat transfer modeling of large industrial ovens such as those used in automotive paintshops is difficult due to the large and multiple scales and long curing times. The flow inside a convective oven is turbulent, and the process includes large temperature gradients. An efficient simulation requires a simplified and localized model of the heat transfer coupling. We present a novel method with three ingredients: localization using local Nusselt numbers of the oven nozzles, projection of Nusselt number profiles onto the target, and efficient conduction modeling on a coarse background mesh. The approach, which was developed in a research project together with the Swedish automotive industry, makes it possible to accurately simulate a curing oven with close to real-time performance. The simulation results are demonstrated to be in close agreement with measurements from automotive production.

Challenges for the Consideration of Ergonomics in Product Development in the Swedish Automotive Industry – An Interview Study

AbstractThis paper presents an interview study aiming to understand the state of the art of how ergonomics designers work in the vehicle development process within the Swedish automotive industry. Ten ergonomic designers from seven different companies participated in the interview study. Results report the ergonomics designers' objectives, workflow, tools, challenges, and ideal work performance tool. We identify four main gaps and research directions that can enhance the current challenges: human behavior predictions, simulation tool usability, ergonomics evaluations, and integration between systems.

We are never ever getting back together: Constraints on business relationship reactivation after bankruptcy-acquisition

The purpose of this paper is to create a conceptual model of constraints on business relationship reactivation after bankruptcy-acquisition. Previous research has predominantly focused on contexts where positive aspects of reactivation come to the forefront; accordingly, it is argued that more research is needed on elements constraining reactivation. A case study in the Swedish automotive industry is used to develop the model. The model contributes to studies on business relationship reactivation by showing that during different relationship episodes (ending, dormant and expected future episodes) it is possible to identify elements that constrain a subsequent reactivation. In the empirical context of the study, these elements are unsettled debts, unilateral switching costs and expected future losses.

Towards strategic development of maintenance and its effects on production performance by using system dynamics in the automotive industry

Managing maintenance within an economical short-termism framework, without considering the consequential long-term cost effect, is very common in industry. This research presents a novel conceptual system dynamics model for the study of the dynamic behaviors of maintenance performance and costs, which aims to illuminate insights for the support of the long-term, strategic development of manufacturing maintenance. By novel, we claim the model promotes a system's view of maintenance costs that include its dynamic consequential costs as the combined result of several interacting maintenance levels throughout the constituent feedback structures. These range from the applied combination of maintenance methodologies to the resulting proactiveness in production, which is based on the rate of continuous improvements arising from the root cause analyses of breakdowns. The purpose of using system dynamics is to support the investigations of the causal relationships between strategic initiatives and performance results, and to enable analyses that take into consideration the time delays between different actions, in order to support the sound formulation of policies to develop maintenance and production performances. The model construction and validation process has been supported by two large maintenance organizations operating in the Swedish automotive industry. Experimental results show that intended changes can have both short and long-term consequences, and that obvious and hidden dynamic behavioral effects, which have not been reported in the literature previously, may be in the system. We believe the model can help to illuminate the holistic value of maintenance on the one hand and support its strategic development as well as the organizational transformation into proactiveness on the other.

Information quality deficiencies in delivery schedules and their impact on production scheduling

The purpose of this paper is to explore how different delivery schedule characteristics affect the quality of shared delivery schedule information and, in turn, how deficiencies in quality affect a supplier’s production scheduling process. It describes a case study conducted in the Swedish automotive industry involving a supplier that operates as the first-, second- and third-tier supplier to an original equipment manufacturer. The study reveals how four delivery schedule characteristics – namely, receiving frequency, planning period, frozen period and demand variation – create information quality (IQ) deficiencies in five dimensions of IQ: completeness, conciseness, reliability, timeliness and credibility. At the same time, it demonstrates how such deficiencies affect the supplier’s production scheduling process by requiring additional rescheduling, reworking and follow-up activities as well as additional capacity problems, safety time, safety stock and backlogs. In effect, the paper extends previous IQ-related research by considering IQ in delivery schedules.

A comparison of kitting and continuous supply in in-plant materials supply

In the context of in-plant materials supply, the materials feeding principle of kitting is often discussed as an alternative to the more common continuous supply (also known as line stocking). However, there are few detailed studies describing the relative effects of kitting and continuous supply. The current paper identifies the relative effects of kitting and continuous supply, and provides insight into how these effects arise. The paper draws on empirical data from two case studies in the Swedish automotive assembly industry. In each of the cases, continuous supply has been replaced by kitting, enabling comparison of kitting and continuous supply in the same production environment. The performance areas studied include man-hour consumption, product quality, flexibility, inventory levels, and space requirements. Interviews with production engineers, assemblers, and operators responsible for kit preparation at each company contribute to a broad yet detailed view of the relative effects of the two materials feeding principles.

Activity‐based costing: effects of long‐term buyer‐supplier relationships

PurposeThe literature on activity‐based costing (ABC) that deals with the allocation of indirect purchasing costs primarily draws on a transactional approach to purchasing. This presents a problem, since a large share of purchasing takes place within relationships. The purpose of this paper is to point out complexities in applying ABC to indirect purchasing costs, when purchasing takes place within long‐term relationships. The interaction model is used as a framework.Design/methodology/approachA case study is conducted on a first‐tier supplier in the Swedish automotive industry to illustrate real‐life purchasing practices and to point out subsequent difficulties in applying ABC principles. This firm is selected because efforts have simultaneously been undertaken to employ supplier relationship management (SRM) and to implement costing techniques. About 23 interviews were conducted and approximately 31 hours of interview data were collected.FindingsThe case shows that many functions tend to be involved in exchange within long‐term relationships. This generates additional purchasing‐related costs not previously recognized in the costing literature. It also leads to difficulties in allocating these costs.Originality/valueComplexities when implementing ABC are presented, concerning: allocation of costs relating to SRM; allocation of costs pertaining both to transactions and to relationships; less apparent cost drivers due to involvement of many functions in exchanges; and cost allocation over time.

Some considerations relating to the reintroduction of assembly lines in the Swedish automotive industry

In recent years, assembly lines have been reintroduced in the Swedish automotive industry and, in many cases, have replaced those so‐called alternative assembly systems which had their roots in the 1970s. This paper reviews and evaluates some explicit reasons given for the return to the assembly line. It also considers whether the decisions to replace alternative assembly systems with assembly lines may have been driven by other factors and mechanisms than those implicit in these arguments and, if so, what other factors could explain their reintroduction. There is also a discussion of which dimensions that should be taken into account when choosing between alternative assembly systems and assembly lines and empirical data are used to shed more light on the issues discussed in the article. The authors report one study that compares automobile assembly in an alternative assembly system with assembly of the same products after introducing an assembly line. They also briefly discuss reasons for and experiences from the recent introduction of alternative assembly systems in the Japanese electronics industry. In this case, so‐called cellular assembly systems have replaced assembly lines.

Interactive service quality in service encounters: empirical illustration and models

Although the performance of services is done at an operative level, service is an important issue for the strategic, tactical, and operative business activities of companies. This paper examines the construct of interactive service quality in service encounters. This is a complex approach that goes beyond the current exploration of the service‐quality construct. Interactive service quality requires the simultaneous consideration of the service provider's perspective and the service receiver's perspective. The study was conducted in the Swedish automotive industry and focused on the issues of interactive service quality between a vehicle manufacturer and a selection of its most important suppliers. The major contributions of the research provide an on‐the‐spot account of interactive service quality. The paper provides theoretical and managerial implications of the construct of interactive service quality in service encounters.

Reconstructing the history of the main Volvo Tuve plant

This paper reports on the history of the main Volvo Tuve truck plant in Gothenburg from its beginnings in 1981 until 2002. It focuses on the assembly work involved in the completion of truck chassis carried out by blue‐collar employees. Extensive (physical) alterations during this period have been important for understanding the plants' present design. The various designs of the assembly system, in combination with alterations and changes, have radically reformed the blue‐collar employee's work in a way that, in most respects, had not been intended. The ambitious guidelines, design assumptions and praxis of the early plant design which promoted collective dimensions of work have shifted to ones in which assembly work can be seen more as a set of individualised tasks. Moreover, the plant, which in earlier times had been small‐scale and utilised a heterogeneous assembly systems design, now has been transformed into a large‐scale plant with a homogenous assembly systems design. That is, to be more specific, two rather short assembly lines with intermediate buffers (1980s assembly systems design) were turned into the use of extended assembly lines without intermediate buffers (1990s assembly systems designs). The latter assembly systems were earlier working in coexistence with so‐called assembly docks (small work groups completed their own truck chassis). Lastly, these heterogeneous assembly systems designs were recently changed by further extension of the two main product flows and the assembly docks were closed down (2000s assembly system design). We argue that the choice of assembly systems designs was, and maybe still is, an ad hoc process and not a truly rational process. The history of the Volvo Tuve plant history illuminates how one specific plant can illustrate an uneven line of development with regard to assembly system design, within an organisation which successively has turned more international by an ongoing process of creating one single, larger scale, assembly system design. Thereby leaving behind the characteristics which were once a trademark of the Swedish automotive industry.

A method for evaluation of manual work using synchronised video recordings and physiological measurements

Industrial interventions that focus on increased productivity may impair the ergonomics, on a workstation or individual level. This paper presents a method that characterises work time consumption and physical work load of manual work, using video recordings synchronised with physiological measurements of, e.g. muscular activity, and postures. The underlying idea was that it is possible to amalgamate technical and human aspects resulting in a synergetic evaluation. The method was developed through two case studies within the Swedish automotive industry, where manual materials handling was studied. A methodological result was that the synchronising procedure was sufficiently precise to allow work activities to be assigned significantly different levels of physical work load. These different levels may be used to predict physical work load in the design and change of production systems. It was concluded that the method is accurate enough to be a useful tool in industrial interventions.

A typology of vulnerability scenarios towards suppliers and customers in supply chains based upon perceived time and relationship dependencies

The topic of this research focuses on companies’ perceived time and relationship dependencies in supply chains. The empirical findings are based upon a mail survey in the Swedish automotive industry. The principal contribution is a typology of vulnerability scenarios in supply chains based upon perceived time and relationship dependencies towards both suppliers and customers. A methodological contribution of this study is its simultaneous consideration of companies’ inbound and outbound supply chains.

Perceived trust towards suppliers and customers in supply chains of the Swedish automotive industry

The topic of this research focuses simultaneously on the perceived trust of companies towards suppliers and customers in supply chains. Initially, it is assumed that lean, responsive, and agile supply chains require satisfactory or high levels of perceived trust of companies towards suppliers and customers. Otherwise, it is assumed that less leanness, less responsiveness, and less agility may dominate the activities in supply chains. Trust often appears to be a requisite or a phenomenon that smoothes the well‐functioning of all activities in supply chains. The outcome of this study is generated and based on the empirical findings from a survey in the Swedish automotive industry. The automotive industry is characterised by its lean, responsive, and agile supply chains due to a keen competitive marketplace. Finds that there are high levels of companies’ perceived trust towards suppliers and customers in the Swedish automotive industry. Concludes in part that the perceived trust towards the suppliers and the perceived trust towards the customers differ from each other. There is also in part an association between the companies’ perceived trust towards both suppliers and customers in the industry.

Marital status and cardiovascular risk in French and Swedish automotive industry workers--cross sectional results from the Renault-Volvo Coeur study.

To compare the coronary risk profiles in a sample of the French and Swedish automotive industry employees who were married/cohabitant, divorced or single (never married). A cross-sectional study comparison from biological and questionnaire data between the French and Swedish samples. Occupational health departments at Renault (employees from the north-west of France) and Volvo (employees from the south-west of Sweden). Two random samples of males aged between 45 and 50 years were examined in 1993, from Renault 1000, and from Volvo 1000. Biological data including cholesterol, blood pressure as well as the Framingham risk index. Self reported information regarding marital status, smoking, exercise, alcohol habits, and work stress assessed by the Karasek method, private social support indices, and type A behaviour according to the Bortner scale. More employees were married/cohabitant and fewer divorced or single at Renault. Apart from waist/hip ratio being marginally lower in Swedish single men, compared with married and divorced, no significant difference in biological cardiac risk factors (total cholesterol, blood pressure or Framingham risk index) was seen between the subgroups from any of the two countries. Compared with married/cohabitant men, it was shown that in men living alone smoking was more prevalent at Renault and Volvo. These men also showed less type A behaviour, a lower work control and a lower work support and fewer close friends. Alcohol consumption was reported in smaller amounts for Volvo employees living alone compared with married or divorced employees. Married/cohabitant and divorced staff showed similar values regarding all measured variables when compared within each country. Employees living alone in both France (Renault) and Sweden (Volvo) automotive companies seem to have increased nontraditional cardiac risk factors pertaining to life style and social network compared with married or divorced men. These results, in combination with the finding that more Volvo than Renault employees were living alone, suggest a higher risk for coronary heart disease amongst Volvo employees. This hypothesis will be evaluated in the 5 and 10 years follow up study.

Alternatives to line assembly: Some Swedish examples

In recent years, some criticism of Lean production has occurred, focusing among other things on the working conditions and the susceptibility of traditional assembly work in a society upgrading the demands for a more humanized work. Recently, this criticism has also concerned the technical aspects of this type of manufacturing. Because of this, alternatives to line assembly merit some attention. Experiences from some innovative production systems operated in the Swedish automotive industry during the last two decades are of particular interest. These unconventional production systems feature autonomous work groups and extended work cycles. These types of production systems are elucidated in detail by means of e.g nuance the concept of utilising buffers, i.e. there are different types of buffers (or buffer functions) as is classified (or clarified) in this publications.

Production model discourse and experiences from the Swedish automotive industry

Discusses production models for final assembly in the automotive industry and also reports on the performance of one final assembly plant representing an innovative production model, namely the Volvo Uddevalla plant. Briefly considers some issues and pitfalls in current production model discourse, and in this connection introduces a distinction between two manufacturing models and broader industrial models. Describes two manufacturing models for final assembly work as namely the “serial flow model” and the “parallel flow model”. Discusses the Japanese “lean production”, sometimes synonymous with “Toyotism”, as an industrial model and the impact of socio‐economic and socio‐cultural contexts on manufacturing models and industrial models. Concludes that the Uddevalla plant highlights the paradox that long cycle time work in parallel flow assembly systems is in fact more efficient than short cycle time work in serial flow systems, provided that suitable technical and administrative preconditions exist. Therefore, the engineering point of view and the Swedish experiences of innovative manufacturing systems should be carefully considered in the current production model discourse.