Ida Gremyr

Service innovations in manufacturing firms

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify and describe certain critical dimensions related to service innovation in manufacturing firms. The paper focuses on dimensions related to the service transition, the offering and the development project.Design/methodology/approach – A multiple case study was conducted in order to trace specific service innovations and to explore critical dimensions and events throughout their development. A total of 16 interviews were held, covering service innovations in SKF, Volvo Buses, and Volvo Trucks.Findings – Each of the three service innovations studied are examples of recombinative innovations. While there are some differences in terms of what is innovative, a common theme is the bundling of technology and services. Recombinative innovation opens up the possibility to combine standardization and customization, which has been identified as a success factor for services in manufacturing companies.Originality/value – Although a large number of manufacturing firms a...

Multi-faceted views on a Lean Six Sigma application

Purpose – Lean and Six Sigma observers, researchers and managers are awaiting the next step, which many feel could take the form of a combination of the two concepts, known as Lean Six Sigma. The purpose of this paper is to explore an application of Lean Six Sigma in practical improvement work, as a way of identifying factors of importance for improving future Lean Six Sigma applications. Design/methodology/approach – The empirical study was conducted through interviews, meetings, document analysis and observations over a period of four months. Findings – The findings of this study suggest it is unfeasible to apply one standardised approach to improvements in one company. Continuous smaller improvements and larger improvement projects demand different formulas. It is appropriate to use Lean and Six Sigma in parallel but this should be done through clever cross-fertilisation, such as taking variations in project complexity into consideration. Research limitations/implications – This paper shows one way of working with an improvement initiative in one particular company. It does not propose that this is the only way to combine Lean and Six Sigma nor does it suggest universal applicability. Further research on other possible combinations would be valuable. Practical implications – This paper provides an outline of how to structure a combination of Lean and Six Sigma. This could provide valuable insights to managers who wish to structure their improvement processes depending on the type of problem at hand. Originality/value – This paper expands the theoretical foundation for combining Lean and Six Sigma by studying and analysing a practical application of the concept. As a result, it provides new factors of importance for successful Lean Six Sigma applications, such as having a clear structure that guides the company in terms of what components of Lean Six Sigma to apply and what competences to involve in various projects, depending on the scope and complexity.

A review of practices for robust design methodology

Robust design methodology (RDM) comprises systematic efforts to achieve insensitivity of products or processes to sources of unwanted variation. In this article, the literature is reviewed and practices that facilitate industrial use of RDM by providing concrete ideas to generate robust designs are identified. To date the literature has focused mainly on statistical techniques useful for creating robust designs, that is, solutions that are insensitive to sources of unwanted variation, while scope and overall framework have been less emphasised, causing an ambiguity in these respects. One practice identified for insensitivity to variation sources is to exploit non-linearities (between response and control factors) and interactions (between noise and control factors), and suitable tools for accomplishing this can be design of experiments or simulation techniques. As systematic RDM efforts are based on an awareness of variation and are beneficial in all design stages, the review also focuses on these two aspects of RDM.

Exploring Design for Six Sigma from the viewpoint of Robust Design Methodology

Design for Six Sigma (DFSS) has arisen as an initiative that takes Six Sigma activities to the design area. DFSS is explored in this paper from the viewpoint of Robust Design Methodology by means of a literature study and an empirical study. The empirical study reveals that the industrial perception of DFSS is diversified and that DFSS does not yet constitute a well-defined framework. Despite its name, it is shown that DFSS activities often target effects of variation that can be handled in production rather than those that must be handled at the design stages. One reason might be that most DFSS programmes start by realising limitations of Six Sigma activities in production. In other words, reasons for implementing DFSS are, in most companies, found in production.

Design for Six Sigma and lean product development

Purpose – Six Sigma and lean production are established concepts in industry and academia. Both have given rise to associated concepts that have been applied in product development: Design for Six Sigma (DFSS) and Lean Product Development (LPD), respectively. Proposals are being published for the merger of DFSS and LPD, and the purpose of this paper is to discuss potential benefits and risks of such proposals.Design/methodology/approach – The paper is based on an interview study encompassing 11 interviews at seven companies.Findings – The results show that a possible merger of DFSS and LPD could prove beneficial in providing guidance both on the structure and the content of improvement efforts. Further, a merger has a potential of supporting radical, as well as incremental, improvements. However, differences in industrial practices that should be considered in applications of a merged initiative are the overall goal of the improvement work (cost reduction versus waste reduction), the emphasis on what to d...

Use and knowledge of robust design methodology: a survey of Swedish industry

In this paper, a survey concerning the knowledge and use of robust design methodology in 87 Swedish manufacturing companies is presented. The results show that only 28% of the companies in the study are familiar with robust design methodology, and 17% use the methodology. However, methods that can be useful in robust design methodology are often applied in Swedish industry. The results of the survey also reveal that application of robust design methodology, involvement in a Six Sigma program, QS 9000 certification, and the size of the company seem to be correlated with an increased use of these methods.

Understanding new service development and service innovation through innovation modes

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of innovation modes in understanding challenges of integrated NSD and NPD, and the use of structured NSD processes in manufacturing firms. Design/methodology/approach – The research is based on a two-stage multiple case study. The first stage is an interview study of 17 key informants representing manufacturing firms in the machine industry. The second stage is an in-depth study of three service innovations at three manufacturing firms based on 16 interviews with key informants. Findings – The results of the study show that NSD processes are often more structured if the service is developed separately from the product. The fact that different innovation modes benefit from varying degrees of structure in the development process means that integrated service development can be challenging. Furthermore, service innovations often follow a trajectory of innovation modes before succeeding in the market. Some innovation modes occur within the NSD process, while others occur outside the process. One success factor for NSD is the fit between the innovation modes and the NSD process, rather than the NSD process per se. Originality/value – This research uses innovation modes to explain why NSD in manufacturing firms is often performed on an ad hoc basis, and how service innovations go through a trajectory of innovation modes. In this way, the study contributes to theory development of service innovation, and specifically service innovations in manufacturing firms.

Design for Six Sigma and Lean Product Development: Differences, Similarities and Links

Many practitioners strive to increase the efficiency of their product development. In addition, smaller companies must satisfy customers’ expectations of their product development. These expectations can be e.g. use of specific methodologies such as Lean Product Development (LPD) and/or Design for Six Sigma (DFSS). This study attempts to identify differences and similarities between these methodologies and the connection between them. This comparison is of interest to practitioners that must choose a strategy for their product development as well as to researchers. The aim of both methodologies is to reduce waste and time of development and to raise the quality of a product at the very roots of the product: its development. LPD and DFSS help development managers to structure projects and focus as much as possible on customer expectations and satisfaction.

The role of quality managers in contemporary organisations

A key question for firms nowadays is how to organise work with quality management. This naturally includes the role of the quality managers and it appears as if the profession of quality managers is at a crossroads. Alternatives are that the role of a quality manager broadens to include quality at a strategic level in the firm and that Six Sigma specialists and Lean Production managers drive the development of quality management in the future. In this paper, we present the results from a survey of 212 quality managers in Swedish organisations. The purpose is to contribute to an understanding of how the management of quality is designed and practised in contemporary organisations. This study shows that a quality managers operational responsibility is quite narrowly defined. The agenda of the quality manager is mainly related to quality standards, such as ISO 9000 and environmental management systems. These programmes frame the work of the quality manager, which in many cases leaves other programmes, such as Six Sigma and Lean Production, to other departments or parallel improvement structures.

Critical Factors for Quality Management Initiatives in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises

This paper identifies the critical factors for quality management (QM) initiatives in small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). The factors are grouped into six categories: contextualisation; gradual implementation using realistic goals; involvement and training of employees; involvement of external support; management involvement; and fact-based follow-up. A further analysis of the literature indicates that well-recognised ideas for improvement in large companies are useful for SMEs as well. However, compared to large companies, more focus is needed on acquiring external support, planning for a QM initiative in line with characteristics of the specific SME, and planning for a gradual implementation of the QM initiative that is followed up by realistic goals.