Advanced production design | A7005A

The overall aim of the course is for students to develop their knowledge and skills in the field of production development.

Background of the course

The course runs at half speed during the fall semester starting in early September and ending in January and has its scientific basis in engineering sciences, with main starting points in theories in work science, industrial production technology, logistics and economics and industrial planning. The students work, under continuous supervision, in groups of three or four students on a real business project at pre-project level.

It is not possible to specify exactly what the project work should include in advance, as the content must be adapted to the specific problems of the company in question. Often there has been a need for expansion in the company and the students have developed proposals on how a new production setup, layout, flows, work organization, work environment, etc. can look like. Sometimes the change will take place in existing premises, sometimes in the form of expansion or in completely new premises. It may also involve investments in machinery or equipment that affect the production setup or that a new product will be introduced into the manufacturing process.

Expected results

Participating companies can expect to learn about their own operations together with the students, as well as suggestions for solutions and recommended action plans for continued development work. The project result should be able to form a good basis for a possible further project planning. This means that the students must present well-designed requirement specifications and thorough proposals including simple investment calculations.

The project is presented orally and in a project report where the result is described in text and in the form of illustrations in various forms, such as 3D visualizations. Often simulations of production/material flows are also carried out.

Implementation

We always try to work from an MTO (Man-Technology-Organization) perspective, often with the Lean philosophy as a central part. Broadly speaking, the students' work usually begins with the development of a project planning and mission statement that is agreed with the company. This is followed by mapping and describing the initial situation, which is then analysed. Here the students need the opportunity to be out in the company and study current sections, interview staff, etc. Together with the company, a requirement specification is then developed that forms the basis for the continued work of developing conceptual solutions and a final solution proposal. Finally, the students present their work to the company at an oral presentation at the company and in a written report.

Commitment

• A problem that the students can use as a basis for designing a mission statement. The assignment description is specified in consultation with the company.
• A contact person. The contact person at the company needs to be familiar with the problem and genuinely interested in the assignment.
• Receive the students on a visit. Expect roughly 4-5 full-day visits from the students.
• Provide documentation relevant to the project, such as production data, drawings, etc.
• Allocate time so that the students have access to staff during mapping and concept development. This may involve interviewing staff, conducting workshops, etc.
• Attend meetings when needed (can often be done remotely via Teams/Zoom).
• Respond to requests from students via email/phone.

Examples

In recent years we have worked with the following companies:

• 2022 - Dream stairs
• 2021 - Composite balconies
• 2020 - Latitude 64
• 2019 - Svalson
• 2018 - BD Fisk and Haparanda Wood Art
• 2017 - Lindab Profil AB, Freno AB and Jokkmokk sausage

• Syllabus for Advanced Production Design External link.
  

Expression of interest

• Register your interest here External link, opens in new window.
  (Opens in Swedish)