As a result of global competition, companies within the automotive industry are required to improve their production systems to achieve sustainable and competitive production. To attain operational excellence, companies have adopted concepts like lean and World Class Manufacturing (WCM).In order to deliver, companies need to increase the availability and reliability of production equipment. This demands focus on both operational and strategic maintenance, and efficient equipment acquisition and management. The main objective of this thesis is to identify processes and success factors that are necessary for improved maintenance performance. By conducting a case study and by performing a literature review, the following has been studied: 1) how companies within the automotive industry work with maintenance and maintenance strategies, 2) implementation of maintenance strategies, and 3) new acquisition and spare parts management for maintenance. The results show that basic maintenance concepts and related terms are well defined in the literature.

As a small and land scarce country, effective waste management is ofoutmost importance in Singapore. In this study the production of biogasthrough anaerobic digestion from the organic fraction of municipal solidwaste (OFMSW) was compared to incineration of the waste. At the momentalmost all of the OFMSW in Singapore is incinerated. Three differentscenarios were compared to the reference scenario (incineration): one with alarge scale biogas plant that can treat half of all OFMSW in Singapore, onewith a medium scale biogas plant about 15 times smaller than the large oneand one with a small scale biogas plant that can treat waste from e.g. ashopping center or a food center.By using life cycle assessment (LCA) the different scenarios were comparedin terms of global warming potential (GWP), acidification, eutrophication,energy use and land use.

To curb greenhouse gases and mitigate climate change is one of the biggest challenges human society face today. Carbon dioxide (CO2) has accumulated rapidly in the atmosphere as a consequence of burning of fossil fuels and deforestation. The aim of this study is to explore two methods to store carbon dioxide in geological formations and biological sinks. The aim is also to discuss the two mitigation options from a sustainable perspective and whether it can lead to a better environment and benefits for local and global societies. The research questions are: Which method to store carbon dioxide, geological or biological, is the most effective? Which method to store carbon dioxide, geological or biological, has the greatest potential to promote sustainable development for local communities?The method used is a comparative case study and presents four case studies that explore the potential for CO2 storage offshore in Norway and Brazil; and in tropical forests in Mexico and Brazil.

Kulturvårdscentrum was a project that had great significance for local folklore societies in Bohuslän.Bohusläns museum was i charge of the project that lasted from 1987 until about 2001 when most ofthe original staff have retired. The staff was mainly recruited from a large shipyard, Uddevallavarvet,at it's closure due to recession. Financing was largely made by the government to help outthose unemployed who otherwise should have a hard time finding a new job. At start there was about25 employees who where trained for one year by staff from Swedish museums, conservation studios,and teachers the university. The education was aimed at serving local folklore societies, and dealingwith their special problems.

The component workshop at Atlas Copco inTierp intends to reduce the costs inorder to increase their competitiveness.This thesis examines how the productionmanagement around cylinder washersshould be managed in a way that meetsthe customer needs. The customer to thecylinder washer is Atlas Copcos assemblydepartment in Tierp.The purpose of this thesis is to providean alternative way of managing theproduction. A chapter of theory is addedto give the reader an insight ofdifferent types of production managementsystems as well as the underlyingknowledge needed to get a better readingexperience. An introduction of kanbancan in theory help Atlas Copco in thedirection they strive. It should beclear how the purpose of this thesisaffects the cost for the componentworkshop and also how it relates to thecurrent production.

This study was a degree in Master of Science in agriculture with specialization in animal science for the Department of animal nutrition and management at SLU. The subject was created by AS-Faktor, a small company for science and development within the company Lantmännen AB. It was a test of the effect of SPC (Special Processed Cereals) on induction of the endogenous protein AF (an antisecretory factor) in plasma and intestinal lumen in broilers. Previous results have shown positive effects on different intestinal diseases in pigs, horses, dogs as well as in humans. Beside the induction we also studied the effects on results in a conventional slaughter chicken production, including the ability of SPC to compete with or be affected by the coccidiostat, Salinomax.When diarrhoea occurs, it's because there is an imbalance between the secretion and the absorption and it can be caused by for example toxins.

Bravida is one of Scandinavia's leading suppliers of technical installations and services. According to Bravida an installer loses around 35 per cent of their daily work. It?s the time aspect that?s going to be examined in this thesis. The purpose of this thesis is that the student in question is to investigate the activities of the installers that works with this project, identifying where and how time losses occur and come up with suggestions for improvement.Methods used in this work is literature studies, observational studies and interviews.

Ethanol produced from lignocellulosic biomass has the potential to become a promisingalternative to gasoline. In this work the simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF)technology was applied for ethanol production from hardwood with focus on cell growth,ethanol production and contamination.The SSF was performed at PH 5.5 and 35°C for different suspended solid concentrations(8%, 10% and 12%) of pretreated birch slurry which contained 16 % total suspended solids.Two different hexose fermenting yeast strain (Ethanol Red) and pentose fermenting yeaststrain were used.Quantifying the concentration of chemical components and metabolites in the fermentationmedium demonstrated that glucose and xylose are the major fermentable sugars in the slurry.The higher load of slurry (12%) represents a higher content of carbohydrates and potentiallyhigher end concentration of ethanol. Moreover, more lactic acid is produced with the lowerload of slurry (8 % or 10 %), presumably due to a result of a less inhibitory environment forbacterial growth. In this context, acetic acid sticks out as the most important inhibitor withconcentrations of 15.2 and 12.5 and 9.7 g/l respectively in the 12 %, 10 % and 8 % (ofsuspended solids) trials. Using pentose fermenting yeast may lead to higher ethanolproduction, lower xylose uptake and lower lactic acid formation.

It's not a secret that most companies strive to get such a high economic return as possible. To successfully engage in a profitable enterprise, there are many elements that come into play. An important element is the motivation of the employees and their work performance. Work motivation is a key factor for the employees to improve their performance and therefore determinant for the successes of the company.This work is a case study in the production at Fresenius Kabi, Uppsala. The work is based on an employee survey that they fill out once a year and the aim is to develop a deeper understanding for these questions and how the employees see on leadership, communication and goal-setting as motivators and how these factors works in the company today.To get this deeper understanding I have used a qualitative approach.

Currently, the whole globe is faced with serious problems which negatively affect people around the world: increased pollution, excessive waste, and weather pattern changes. ?Left? and ?right? wing political parties alike have embraced ?green? politics and for many of these parties, environmental issues have become a top priority that is very much reflected in their manifestos. This study examines the environmental goals of two of Sweden?s largest political parties and how these ambitions are reflected at a local level.

According to the client, land survey of Sweden, there is no current information regarding other well developed property tax systems. This information is necessary in order to analyze the effectiveness and develop the Swedish system. The purpose of this study is to contribute with improvement proposals to the development of the Swedish property tax system through a survey of the English and Welsh property tax system.Methods used are: (1) a literature review where the English and Welsh valuation methodology and organization regarding property taxation is studied; (2) an interview with the client at the land survey of Sweden regarding existing problems with the Swedish property tax system; (3) An interview with a contact person of the Valuation Office Agency regarding the English and Welsh property tax system.In England and Wales there are two different property taxes for municipals, Council Tax and Rating. All domestic properties are included in Council Tax and commercial properties or part of commercial properties is included in Rating. Council Tax is based on the properties market value and Rating is based on the commercial property or part of the properties current rental value.

Följande rapport är resultatet av det examensarbete som utförts våren 2011 inom innovativ produktion/logistik vid Mälardalens Högskola. Examensarbete behandlar ämnet Green Production med fokus på skillnader mellan ett produktionssystem som bygger på Lean Production och ett som bygger på Green Production. Områden som berörs i rapporten är de verktyg som används i de olika produktionssystemen, hur arbetet med miljöförbättrande åtgärder kan se ut i praktiken samt vilka svårigheter som finns vid arbete med miljöförbättrande åtgärder i ett företag. Examensarbetet består av en litteraturstudie där aktuell litteratur studerats inom området samt en intervjustudie som genomförts med insatta inom miljöfrågor kopplat till produktion samt operatörer.Bakgrunden till examensarbetet grundar sig i att världen står inför en framtid där många utav de råmaterial som används idag vid produktion inte kommer att kunna nyttjas i framtiden. Detta i kombination med de miljöproblem som människan åsamkat, har bidragit till att många företag insett att miljöaspekter måste vara i åtanke genom hela produktionsprocessen.Den uppfattning som erhållits genom intervjustudierna är att det är viktigt för ett företag att visa att de arbetar med miljöförbättrande åtgärder.

Several technical solutions are ready to step forward as the new generation of propellant, and this report aims to explore the possibility of commercializing fuel cell cars. The report is based on current research and data from today's technology and engineering solutions that are estimated to be commercially realized before 2020.A mapping of today?s different fuel cell options has shown that the most suitable fuel cell option is the Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell, which uses hydrogen as fuel. The report is focusing on a techno-economic well-to-wheel analysis of hydrogen and the energy balance and costs in a system perspective. The basis for this analysis consists of two centralized methods of production, steam methane reforming (SMR), and alkaline water electrolysis.

In the forest sector, non-industrial private forest (NIPF) owners commonly interact with numerous stakeholders (e.g. forest managers, timber buyers, harvesting contractors and advisors) for counseling, planning, selling and hiring. Forest management is therefore built and influenced by the relationships between NIPF owners and other stakeholders. In the local context of a Southern Sweden, the Swedish Forest Agency (SFA) and the Southern Forest Owners Association (SÖDRA) are very influential stakeholders in small-scale forest management. Based on qualitative interviews and by means of grounded theory, an analysis of the relationships between NIPF owners and the mentioned organizations was carried out in order to understand the social context at the genesis of forest management decisions.

Purpose of this thesis is to study the impact of wind turbines on their surroundings. It also aims to analyze how the communication looks between the authorities, the planner and local residents prior to the establishment of wind turbines in Lännäs/Odensbacken in Örebro, where three wind turbines set up in a group.The results of this survey show that the participants experience themselves not as especially disturbed of the turbines in the form of large noise, shadows, and sleep disturbance indoors and outdoors. Participants felt that no change had taken place on the natural environment (52%) since the turbines became operational. It was 49% of participants had got no information about the establishment of Örebro Municipality, Örebro County Administrative Board or Wind Power Company. Scientists/­experts had the highest confidence of 86%, politicians and the media/journalists had least confidence.