Flexibility in the production process of the HST Tipping Trailer

Middelburg, J. (2009) Flexibility in the production process of the HST Tipping Trailer. Bachelor's Thesis, Industrial Engineering and Management.

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Abstract

This research has been issued by Miedema to investigate the production process of the HST Tipping trailers. Since Miedema is adopting the lean philosophy, the company wonders whether there is a more ‘lean’ production process of the HST possible, and if such a solution is feasible. Another problem that Miedema faces is that it is relatively inflexible in comparison tot its competitors. Since Miedema occupies seasonal production, delivery times on certain products may be high. Miedema has indicated that it wants to explore possibilities to make the company more flexible, especially in the light of the current economic crisis. At the moment, demand is declining and the company wonders how it can cope with the declining sales and declining production. On the other hand, Miedema expects a surge in demand when the economic downturn has passed; it therefore wants to use this period to prepare itself for that moment. Flexibility is thus an important theme for Miedema, since this might win orders. At the same time the company wants to remain its other KPIs at the same level, for this meets customer expectations. The two most important of these KPIs are quality and the low cost of ownership. Given these facts, Miedema first wants to explore its possibilities, before actual changes are made. Since Miedema has ties to the Lean Operations Research Centre (LORC) of the University of Groningen, it has made the request whether such research can be conducted. Goal of the research is to provide management with an overview of possible production processes for the HST, weighted against potential problems and benefits. It therefore requires an independent research, to approach this question from a neutral perspective. It will support the decision making process for the future production of the HST Tipping Trailer.

Item Type:	Thesis (Bachelor's Thesis)
Degree programme:	Industrial Engineering and Management
Thesis type:	Bachelor's Thesis
Language:	English
Date Deposited:	15 Feb 2018 07:31
Last Modified:	15 Feb 2018 07:31
URI:	https://fse.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/9098

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