The primary purpose of this study has been to investigate the Swedish timber industry?s perception of compression wood. A secondary aim has been to describe particular areas within the production process where compression wood is likely to cause problems. This study has mainly been carried out as a questionnaire. In order to connect the findings to current research, additional information has also been collected by means of a literature review. The questionnaire has been intended for sawmills and wood-manufacturing companies from various production classes and owner categories, as well as from different parts of the country.

AbstractThis master thesis was performed at Scania transmission department in Södertälje, where the manufacturing of gears is done. Today a large amount of manual handling is performed between the machining and the hardening process. Most of the manual handling is done at the heat treatment department. The purpose of this master thesis is to give a suggestion on how to reduce or eliminate the manual handling at the heat treatment department. The possibility to use the same packaging throughout the processes will also be investigated.

Problem: The corrugated board industry is highly affected by customer uncertainty, various demands and short delivery times. In combination with a complex multi-step production process managers have to be able to identify bottle-necks and gain knowledge and understanding of how different changes in process will affect the production output. <br/><br/>Purpose: The purpose of this master thesis is twofold, (1) to examine applicability of complexity theory through agent-based modelling on a production process (2) to identify improvement areas in order to increase the production output at SKS production site in Eslöv, by modelling and simulating the production process through an agent-based model. <br/><br/>Method: The chosen method of this study is a combination of a case study and a complex system approach. The empirical data was collected through interviews, observation and document studies which were analysed through an agent-based simulation model.

Syfte ? Studiens syfte är att öka kunskapen om hur fordonstillverkares affärsmodeller påverkas vid förändring av statliga regelverk genom att studera ett framtida införande av HCT i Sverige. HCT, High Capacity Transports, är ett samlingsnamn för lastbilar som är tyngre och/eller längre än vad gällande lagstiftning tillåter. Regelförändringen övervägs för att sänka kostnader och miljöpåverkan. Metod ? Arbetet har genomförts i form av en case-studie.

The secondary control must be part of the production plan, since the capacity will bedeployed in advance, just as the primary control. The activation of the new frequencycontrol should be preformed in Vattenfall's operations centers (DC) to minimizecommunication delay. Vattenfall needs to work towards a more holistic optimizationsystem. The main issue for Vattenfall Generation is not how we produce but ratherwhen, which is done with creation of bids. This is where there is the mostopportunity for improvement.

Today, maintenance is a big part of the daily life on board ships. It is also one of the bigger expenses a shipping company has and without any loss of quality tries to run as economically advantageous as possible. In the hunt for economical savings the shore-based industry has subsequently applied the use of condition based maintenance, CBM, were a component is maintained according to its actual state. This leads to a reduction of maintenance costs since no parts are unnecessarily replaced. However, within the maritime sector a periodical maintenance is still the most commonly used maintenance system.The purpose of this paper is to chart the factors that are the reason for the low implementation of CBM on board the Swedish merchant fleet's ships.

Bakgrund: Ett lager är en viktig del av de flesta värdekedjor. Stora ansträngningar har därför under de senaste åren gjorts för att finna optimala strategier för planering och kontroll av lagersystem. För att uppnå en ökad produktion krävs det att kapacitetsutnyttjandet förbättras. Genom att planera sin kapacitet kan företag reducera kapacitetsbegräsningar, så kallade flaskhalsar, som är nyckeln till att förbättra produktionens kapacitetsutnyttjande.Syfte: Syftet med studien är att beskriva Staples nuvarande kapacitetsutnyttjande i påfyllnads- och plockprocessen. Vidare avser studien att identifiera kapacitetsbegränsningar inom dessa processer.

The Swedish cooperative Lantmännen Ekonomiska Förening has initiated a project labelled "Operation Blåljus" that includes an extensive program for closing down elevators. The number of elevators will be reduced from 92 to approximately 15 after harvest of 2007. The objective of Blåljus is to increase the price of grain with 10 öre/kg. A project has been initiated at the Lantmännen Grain division where the purpose is to provide the farmers with support in their decisions and practical advice how they can load a 35 ton grain truck on 30 minutes. The result from the project will serve as a support system to the farmer in his ambition to achieve cost efficient systems to load a truck with grain on the farm.

The purpose of this thesis has been to investigate the effect of introducing the qualitystandard ISO 9001:2000 at Metso Paper Service in Sundsvall. The investigation has been focused on implementation of the new method of work, Continuous improvements. The implementation has been studied in a case study with both a qualitative and quantitative method. Continuous Improvements is a way of working focused on continuously increasing the efficiency and having the purpose of achieving the formulated goals. This is often accomplished by the organisation carrying out the changing process to a great extent in small but efficient teams.

The aim of this paper is to examine how the Swedish implementation of the new trafficking laws may differ from the original intention from the UN and EU and if they are substandard due to poorly conducted law implementation. Or if it might be a victim of political symbolism, to win support and votes for the politicians in power from the people, a ?hollow showpiece? only meant to be shown off. Trafficking is a relatively new phenomena and problem to be researched and discussed. This paper investigates the impact of the Palermo protocols international definition of the problem, the convention against organized crime presented by the European Union on the Swedish legal system and its action plan. A qualitative text analysis focusing on the discourse of the intentions behind the internationally presented legal documents and compared against the carrying out of said national objectives.

Social movements have long been valuable components of the struggle for a world with true justice. Along with the changing and modernization of society these movements also change, both in their actions as well as in the goals they want to accomplish. Technology is taking a greater part in many aspects of social life, creating new dimensions but also new social divides. This thesis examines how new social movements make themselves visible and affect the world around them through different kinds of networks. For the purpose of this study, we have chosen to study two social movements; the Zapatistas in Mexico, who have become known worldwide for carrying out the first informational revolution, and MoveOn.org, an American grassroots organization that struggles for increased democracy in the US.

Today's high oil prices and more stringent environmental requirements have led to that manufacturers of mobile construction equipment try to make their products more energy efficient. With this in mind a project about hybridization of hydraulic systems has been formed. The purpose of this project was to analyze the savings that can be achieved by hybridization of hydraulic systems. A reach stacker truck (Kalmar DRD450-80S4XS) were simulated in some load cases with conventional hydraulic systems and with three types of hybridized hydraulic systems. Different parts of the hydraulic systems were also analyzed separately.

A constantly increasing number of magazines are using the Internet as a business channel. One of these is Allt om Mat (All about Food). Together with expressen.se, Allt om Mat developed a food website, alltommat.se, which was introduced at the beginning of 2008. In this essay we investigate how alltommat.se developed its service concept. Further, we look at how this development has influenced and been influenced by relations among the three actors and the users.

The objective with this project was to design a new lifting aid connected to toilet chair.A questionnaire distributed at three homes for aged people indicated that there was an interest in a mechatronic lifting device.Since existing products have limited tilting functionality, the new design was chosen to introduce lifting by motorised tilting of the sitting platform. The mechanical construction was analyzed based on a maximum load caused by a person with weight 160 kg. Two linear actuators were used to control the tilting/lifting of the sit ?place, making standing-up easer.Finally, 28 persons tested the new lifting device and gave their impressions. Many appreciated the safe, stable lifting speed.

Many buildings are now nearing the end of their service life. This applies to both the older houses from the 40's and 50's to the million project houses that did not prove to be as sustainable in the long run. Often there is a desire to extend the service lifetime, but to do that you need to make detailed inspections. The Folkets hus in Gävle is one of those buildings that is in need of renovation and to fulfill the new requirements that must be met in today's buildings. It is desired to make the buildings rentable space more attractive and to extend the building with two more floors.