In 2005, Outokumpu began to implement its system of continuous improvement, OK> 1, at Avesta Jernverk. OK> 1 has not generated sufficient results on plant KPI:s. The purpose of this study is to identify the understanding,  participation and commitment regarding to OK> 1, and to suggest some actions to make OK> 1 more successful with emphasis on these three aspects. The thesis shall also determine whether there are any differences in the attitude towards OK>1 between Blue Collars and White Collars.The study consisted of a survey, and interviews. The output from these methods were processed and analyzed and finally resulted in a SWOT ? analysis and suggested actions for improving the understanding, participation and commitment towards OK>1.

In today?s computerized society more and more companies choose to utilize new applications that can ease the way of handling the information. For many of us is imperative that the process as efficient as possible if one takes in consideration the size of savings that this new application can bring.The developer of the evaluated system is SYSteam AB Huskvarna and they are the ones that gave us this assignment. The application that we evaluate is SCM (Secure Connection Manager). It is already used today by big companies such as Telia and Ericsson to search for errors in telephone servers placed all over the country.

Arvika Smide is a supplier to the automotive industry with a focus on advanced drop forgings including powertrain and bearings. The great experience and high quality is Arvika Smide?s speciality. Today's competition in the industries puts high demands on the efficiency where each company has a quest for perfection.Arvika Smide has been through the thesis of Karlstad University, called for a situation analysis of aftertreatment whose effectiveness has not been fully desirable. The department includes the production steps blasting, quality control and packaging.The thesis contains the results from the situation analysis and comparisons of the calculations for selected reference period Q4 2009th.

The economic prerequisite to many farmers in Sweden after the EU membership and the new agriculture policy has generated large demands on the farm management. Until year 2004 you got a grant based on what you had produced and not on consumer demand. In 2005 a new economic aid (Mid Term Revue) was introduced and the conditions has changed again. Due to this I have chosen to do a cost-benefit analysis on a case, to investigate if the present production is sustainable in the future. My conclusion is that the profitability is acceptable even if the farm has a high debt. But to make the production more profitable the products produced should be refined as much as possible at the farm, to get maximum economic return.

Due to exploitation of the world?s rivers, the upstream migration of anadromous species is frequently delayed or even prevented. To mitigate these problems and allow fish to migrate past obstacles, structures such as fish ladders have been developed. However, recent studies show that many of the present fish passage facilities are deficient. Monitoring and evaluation of passage facilities is therefore crucial to enable necessary adjustments.

The automotive market is currently undergoing a historical change where stricter emission legislations and ever increasing fuel costs have intensified the search for effective alternatives to the conventional internal combustion engine, which has resulted in a substantial trend towards electrification of powertrains. Storage of electrical energy is the fundamental component in this technology where the lithium-ion batteries are currently considered as the most appropriate solution. Lithium-ion batteries, however, as other types of batteries, can only be used efficiently and durably within a specific temperature range.This Master thesis has been carried out in collaboration with Electroengine in Sweden AB, situated in Uppsala, which has an ongoing project regarding development of a modular battery system for electric powertrains. The project is at a stage where an initial prototype has been developed which provides the foundation for this thesis. The study has addressed the battery system performance from a thermal perspective, in order to validate the ability of the system to create a thermally serviceable environment for the lithium-ion battery cells.

Between 1965 and 1974, the Swedish Parliament decided to build one million dwellings, called Million Program. The million program buildings were erected with new, untried design solutions, in a short range of time, and at low cost. The residential buildings from that time are now greatly in need of renovation. The municipal housing company, Gavlega?rdarna, renovates and improves the energy efficiency at some of it?s apartment buildings in the district Sa?tra, Ga?vle.

The aim of this literature study was to analyze how milk urea concentration is working as a measure of the nitrogen supply to rumen microbes and indicator of the environmental load. Questions included in this literature study were how to improve the dairy cattle nitrogen efficiency and what correlations there are between milk urea, nitrogen efficiency and crude protein content in the feed. Effects on the reproduction from high ration protein content are also addressed. Dairy cattle are today fed with large proportions of protein which could lead to high expenditure of feed and environmental pollutions. The nitrogen can be lost to the environment by different pathways; leaching, denitrification or by emission to the air.

The aim of this literature study was to analyze how milk urea concentration is working as a measure of the nitrogen supply to rumen microbes and indicator of the environmental load. Questions included in this literature study were how to improve the dairy cattle nitrogen efficiency and what correlations there are between milk urea, nitrogen efficiency and crude protein content in the feed. Effects on the reproduction from high ration protein content are also addressed. Dairy cattle are today fed with large proportions of protein which could lead to high expenditure of feed and environmental pollutions. The nitrogen can be lost to the environment by different pathways; leaching, denitrification or by emission to the air.

A one-cylinder research engine has been used for studies with a Diesel Dual Fuel concept (DDF). DDF is a concept that utilizes a pilot diesel injection to ignite a homogenous natural gas/air mixture. Emissions and engine efficiency have been analyzed in an emission cycle called European Stationary Cycle (ESC) and the knock/pre-ignition problems with this type of engine have been investigated.At low and mid torque levels, an early diesel injection around 60 crank angles degrees (CAD) before top dead center (TDC) was used. At these loads raw NOxemissions was below EURO 6 level (0.2 g/kWh). NOxwas at EURO 5 level over the complete ESC without after treatment and with SCR at high loads it should be possible to reach EURO 6.One issue with DDF is the high HC emission levels.

In Sweden whenever trains or maintenance workers want access to the railway system, their requests of usage and movements are being supervised, granted and handled by train dispatchers. The profession holds a key role in making the complex railway system work in terms of efficiency, safety and delivering on-time arrivals. This master thesis, delegated by the Swedish Transport Administration, has been carried out at the Division of Human Computer Interaction at Uppsala University and at the train traffic control center in Gävle. The aim has been to map what information the train dispatchers use in order to make safety-related decisions concerning their working goals. And further to describe and analyze how the train dispatchers, visavi their tools and systems in the work domain, gather necessary information.The result indicates a complex, diverse and spread out setting of different programs, procedures and tools that make satisfactory fulfilment of efficiency, safety and punctuality in relation to the time table hard.

This thesis is a feasibility study into how Fresenius Kabi may rationalize their destruction process in regards to cost, recycling, and work environment. The two main objectives are to identify scrap flows and the possibility to improve or replace the equipment that is now carrying out the physical scrapping. The flow has been visualized by a flow chart of the material and communication. A chart of the problem established to visualize where improvements are necessary. Based on the problems proposals are presented on how to improve the flow thru the plant.During analyze of the physical scrapping equipment it was also necessary to take a deeper look at how they are carrying out there work today, how does the procedure look like, working environment and where are the weaknesses.

During the autumn 2009, a 15 hp degree project was accomplished. The objective of the study was to describe different equipment alternatives, suitable for fresh market apple harvest. A field study was conducted during the harvest period to evaluate the efficiency (kg / person/ hour), using the different equipment. Four different systems are described in the study; Pick-ing-bag, Picking-train, Pluk-O-Trak and the Conveyor Harvester. The information about the systems is based on interviews with growers together with previous studies.

The health care sector is one of the most information-intensive institutions in Sweden. Big investments in information technology have been made to ensure efficiency and quality within organisations in health care. This has led to high requirements in documentation and resulted in an increase in administration which gradually more often is done by nurses and doctors. A major problem is that it is difficult to gain access to the information recorded in all the different systems, which is their objective. This causes double documentation instead of being a support in follow-up performance.

Feedback tools support electricity users within the Swedish residential sector to increase their knowledge of electricity and the electricity market as well as to become more aware of their electricity consumption, which in turn encourages a reduction and an increased flexibility of electricity use. The primary aim of this study is to identify and analyse how existing feedback tools can be improved, to ensure that they contribute efficiently to the achievement of the EU objectives congruent with a more sustainable energy system in 2030, emphasizing: greenhouse gas reduction, increased energy efficiency and an increased share of renewable energy. In order to reach the primary aim of this study, existing feedback tools have been identified and mapped and interviews with feedback tools providers have been conducted. The study is limited to three research areas: the practical functions of feedback tools, available technology and the use of feedback tools.The use of more efficient feedback tools will provide an increased success rate for energy management, which includes both behavioural changes and energy efficiency. According to the results from the interviews conducted for this study, an increased use and user frequency is important to utilise the energy management potential.