Developing a product-service system for automation retrofit offering
Kari, Elisa (2018)
Kari, Elisa
2018
Automaatiotekniikka
Teknisten tieteiden tiedekunta - Faculty of Engineering Sciences
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Hyväksymispäivämäärä
2018-06-06
Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tty-201805241855
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:tty-201805241855
Tiivistelmä
It has been a growing trend for decades to replace human labour with automation. The goal is to increase productivity and worker safety while decreasing costs and human errors. However, investing on new, high technology automated machines is expensive. Retrofitting computing systems with state-of-the art equipment provides important benefits at a low cost. The goal of this thesis is to clarify the retrofit process and resources needed to execute it.
This thesis is a study on how to create a product-service system for one automation retrofit solution. A product-service system is defined as a concept, which combines products and services into one offering that creates new and additional value to customer as well as strengthens organisation’s market position. The goal of this research is to examine product-service system models and select a suitable one to carry out in the target company.
The research is divided into two sections. The literature and industrial practises review studies the current state of retrofits, the division of duties between humans and automation and product-service systems. The review is used to create a theoretical framework for automation retrofits, which is validated in the empirical part of the thesis. The research methods used in the empirical part are interviews and benchmarking. The interviews aim to collect data about the current state of retrofitting and challenges inside the target company. The benchmarking is carried out in two companies, who have done retrofitting in their own business areas, to investigate targets for development. Analysing the data gathered from both interviews and benchmarking validates the created framework.
The thesis offers a methodology for adopting a retrofit product-service system in container handling field. The emphasis is put on clarifying the process flow to customers as well as identifying the key areas, which should be improved. As a result, a series of documents explaining the retrofit process to customers is created and suggestions are given to the target company how to improve the current process flow. Challenges are found especially in both internal and external communication as well as resource allocation and the onsite implementation time.
This thesis provides an overview of the current automation retrofit practices. The theoretical contribution fills the existing gap of limited number of automation retrofit applications. The framework created and the challenges found will give premises for future development of target company’s retrofits.
This thesis is a study on how to create a product-service system for one automation retrofit solution. A product-service system is defined as a concept, which combines products and services into one offering that creates new and additional value to customer as well as strengthens organisation’s market position. The goal of this research is to examine product-service system models and select a suitable one to carry out in the target company.
The research is divided into two sections. The literature and industrial practises review studies the current state of retrofits, the division of duties between humans and automation and product-service systems. The review is used to create a theoretical framework for automation retrofits, which is validated in the empirical part of the thesis. The research methods used in the empirical part are interviews and benchmarking. The interviews aim to collect data about the current state of retrofitting and challenges inside the target company. The benchmarking is carried out in two companies, who have done retrofitting in their own business areas, to investigate targets for development. Analysing the data gathered from both interviews and benchmarking validates the created framework.
The thesis offers a methodology for adopting a retrofit product-service system in container handling field. The emphasis is put on clarifying the process flow to customers as well as identifying the key areas, which should be improved. As a result, a series of documents explaining the retrofit process to customers is created and suggestions are given to the target company how to improve the current process flow. Challenges are found especially in both internal and external communication as well as resource allocation and the onsite implementation time.
This thesis provides an overview of the current automation retrofit practices. The theoretical contribution fills the existing gap of limited number of automation retrofit applications. The framework created and the challenges found will give premises for future development of target company’s retrofits.