Organisationens påverkan på förbättringsarbete : En fallstudie av förbättringsarbete och förslagsverksamhet vid Volvo Powertrain

This thesis was commissioned by Volvo Powertrain, where manufacturing and assembling of transmissions is performed, which is used in the company's trucks and buses. The thesis has consisted of a case study that intends to study the problem areas in the current proposed activities and continuous improvements in the assembly department in the Volvo Powertrain facility. In the current situation, the proposals that are submitted by the employees suggest mainly minor improvements. The proposals concern for example, labelling of materials boxes and holders for tools, which do not generate any significant profit for the company. Directors and executives want an increased amount of proposals with a more results-oriented type, in terms of reduced costs, time consumption and stops, and improved quality. The company would also deal with the problems that arise when implementing improvements in the production. To analyse the current situation, the work process has been studied, the affected employees have been interviewed and produced documentation has been analysed. The micro-ethnography that has been used in this thesis indicates four specific problem areas: Organization, Operation, Documentation and Motivation. These areas have been considered in the selection of literature to provide a theoretical basis, which justifies the changes that this work calls for. The conclusion of this master thesis is a number of recommended changes in four different areas, Organization, Working process, Motivation and Documentation. Based on these recommendations, the management and organization at Volvo Powertrain got a basis for making decisions based on interviews, observations and theory in a close relationship.