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1 – 10 of 10Antti Salonen and Maheshwaran Gopalakrishnan
The purpose of this study was to assess the readiness of the Swedish manufacturing industry to implement dynamic, data-driven preventive maintenance (PM) by identifying the gap…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study was to assess the readiness of the Swedish manufacturing industry to implement dynamic, data-driven preventive maintenance (PM) by identifying the gap between the state of the art and the state of practice.
Design/methodology/approach
An embedded multiple case study was performed in which some of the largest companies in the discrete manufacturing industry, that is, mechanical engineering, were surveyed regarding the design of their PM programmes.
Findings
The studied manufacturing companies make limited use of the existing scientific state of the art when designing their PM programmes. They seem to be aware of the possibilities for improvement, but they also see obstacles to changing their practices according to future requirements.
Practical implications
The results of this study will benefit both industry professionals and academicians, setting the initial stage for the development of data-driven, diversified and dynamic PM programmes.
Originality/Value
First and foremost, this study maps the current state and practice in PM planning among some of the larger automotive manufacturing industries in Sweden. This work reveals a gap between the state of the art and the state of practice in the design of PM programmes. Insights regarding this gap show large improvement potentials which may prove important for academics as well as practitioners.
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Maheshwaran Gopalakrishnan, Anders Skoogh, Antti Salonen and Martin Asp
The purpose of this paper is to increase productivity through smart maintenance planning by including productivity as one of the objectives of the maintenance organization…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to increase productivity through smart maintenance planning by including productivity as one of the objectives of the maintenance organization. Therefore, the goals of the paper are to investigate existing machine criticality assessment and identify components of the criticality assessment tool to increase productivity.
Design/methodology/approach
An embedded multiple case study research design was adopted in this paper. Six different cases were chosen from six different production sites operated by three multi-national manufacturing companies. Data collection was carried out in the form of interviews, focus groups and archival records. More than one source of data was collected in each of the cases. The cases included different production layouts such as machining, assembly and foundry, which ensured data variety.
Findings
The main finding of the paper is a deeper understanding of how manufacturing companies assess machine criticality and plan maintenance activities. The empirical findings showed that there is a lack of trust regarding existing criticality assessment tools. As a result, necessary changes within the maintenance organizations in order to increase productivity were identified. These are technological advancements, i.e. a dynamic and data-driven approach and organizational changes, i.e. approaching with a systems perspective when performing maintenance prioritization.
Originality/value
Machine criticality assessment studies are rare, especially empirical research. The originality of this paper lies in the empirical research conducted on smart maintenance planning for productivity improvement. In addition, identifying the components for machine criticality assessment is equally important for research and industries to efficient planning of maintenance activities.
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Antti Salonen and Marcus Bengtsson
The purpose of this paper is to exemplify and discuss the potential in strategic maintenance development.
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to exemplify and discuss the potential in strategic maintenance development.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper is based on a three‐year industrial case study, conducted in three different companies within manufacturing industry.
Findings
All three companies have showed substantial improvements in the chosen maintenance related KPIs. Further, the management has increased the insight on maintenance as a contributor to company competitiveness.
Research limitations/implications
None of the companies has used any financial KPI for their strategic maintenance development. It would be of future interest to study the concept Cost of Poor Maintenance as an evaluation tool for strategic maintenance development.
Practical implications
This study exemplifies the potential of strategic maintenance development in manufacturing industry.
Originality/value
This paper shows the results from three years of formulation, implementation, and evaluation of maintenance strategies.
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Antti Salonen and Mats Deleryd
The purpose of this paper is to propose and discuss cost of poor maintenance (CoPM), as a concept for managing the improvement of maintenance performance within manufacturing…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to propose and discuss cost of poor maintenance (CoPM), as a concept for managing the improvement of maintenance performance within manufacturing industry.
Design/methodology/approach
The paper is based on literature studies and two workshops with representatives from industry and academia.
Findings
CoPM is proposed as a new concept for maintenance performance improvement. The concept is derived from established practices in quality costing and hence it should be easily accepted in industry.
Practical implications
By using CoPM as a concept for maintenance performance development, manufacturing companies may identify the potential financial impact of the development work. The CoPM concept should provide a good viewpoint for identification of deficiencies in the maintenance performance within a given manufacturing system.
Originality/value
By adopting a well‐known measure from the research area of quality development, a financial measure for maintenance is proposed in this paper. The measure shows which parts of the maintenance costs are justified and which costs relate to poorly performed maintenance. In this way a more balanced view of the financial contribution of maintenance activities may be achieved, even at board level of the company.
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Antti Tuomela and Anssi Salonen
Centralised workplace and decentralised facilities management organisations combine several interacting functions. Different levels of a network service organisation are…
Abstract
Purpose
Centralised workplace and decentralised facilities management organisations combine several interacting functions. Different levels of a network service organisation are presented. The interacting functions are divided into three organisational levels: strategic clients, network integrators, and functional service units. The research paper demonstrates proposals, data collection plans, and relevant lines of questioning for future case studies and network analysis on the basis of the connections discovered in the pilot study environments.
Design/methodology/approach
Strategic, operational, and functional connections are analysed by studying formal and informal links between the managers responsible for various functions. The research was conducted with four pilot cases divided into four types of business units: a corporate headquarters (a financial services group); a large business unit/subsidiary (a telecommunications service provider); a medium business unit in the area of property management (a real estate investment company); and a small business unit (a technology park). The pilot cases function as a laboratory for the authors future case studies.
Findings
The article provides information how formal connections such as cross‐functional teams, task forces, and liaison roles create stronger ties between strategic planning and operational service delivery. The pilot study implies that without formal connections the functions of the network service organisation faces barriers to both vertical and horizontal interaction.
Research limitations/implications
Regardless of the popularity of the network analysis method, the conducted pilot cases and the found connections did not explain the whole value of centralised planning and strategic interaction between different workplace and service functions.
Originality/value
The network analysis takes place in a new facilities management environment. The article argues on a general level that post‐modernistic organisations, such as network, boundaryless, temporary, hybrid and virtual organisations, that are fragmented and managed informally can benefit from formal control mechanisms and meetings.
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Antti Tuomela, Markku Heimbürger, Juha Nummi and Jouko Toivonen
A case study at Senate Properties, a Finnish building owner organisation, for theory building was conducted to provide significant insights into strategic planning in partnership…
Abstract
Purpose
A case study at Senate Properties, a Finnish building owner organisation, for theory building was conducted to provide significant insights into strategic planning in partnership networks with a view to developing interaction in a triadic alliance. The purpose of this paper is to describe how a Finnish building owner organisation, Senate Properties, the focal firm of the studied network, manages multi‐level interaction in the alliance network of the case study.
Design/methodology/approach
In this paper, the building owner's role is studied by using two network analysis studies. The emergent phase of a “triadic alliance” of service providers, building owners as contract managers, and the end‐users of services is analysed by using two separate qualitative network analysis studies.
Findings
The case study indicates that the networks of building users, owners, facilities management parties and service providers can improve their interaction and cooperation by multilevel interaction building, mutual orientation building in groups and formation of boundary‐spanning roles. We therefore present a model or a framework for interaction building in triadic networks that is derived from a knowledge base that can better explain the requirements of core businesses, key real estate and facilities services attributes and options evaluation to meet dynamic changes.
Research limitations/implications
The paper suggests that organisations involved in facilities management that enter into an alliance have to communicate and proactively exchange information to strengthen the interaction and cooperation between network members. For success, each network member should share information and each must learn from the others.
Originality/value
The interaction approach of network analysis takes place in a new building owner centred environment. The paper argues on a general level that to understand the complicated roles within the workplace environment, it is necessary to study the interaction needs of different functions.
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Salla Marttonen-Arola, David Baglee, Antti Ylä-Kujala, Tiina Sinkkonen and Timo Kärri
Big data and related technologies are expected to drastically change the way industrial maintenance is managed. However, at the moment, many companies are collecting large amounts…
Abstract
Purpose
Big data and related technologies are expected to drastically change the way industrial maintenance is managed. However, at the moment, many companies are collecting large amounts of data without knowing how to systematically exploit it. It is therefore important to find new ways of evaluating and quantifying the value of data. This paper addresses the value of data-based profitability of maintenance investments.
Design/methodology/approach
An analytical wasted value of data model (WVD-model) is presented to quantify how the value of data can be increased through eliminating waste. The use of the model is demonstrated with a case example of a maintenance investment appraisal of an automotive parts manufacturer.
Findings
The presented model contributes to the gap between the academic research and the solutions implemented in practice in the area of value optimization. The model provides a systematic way of evaluating if the benefits of investing in maintenance data exceed the additional costs incurred. Applying the model to a case study revealed that even though the case company would need to spend more time in analyzing and processing the increased data, the investment would be profitable if even a modest share of the current asset failures could be prevented through improved data analysis.
Originality/value
The model is designed and developed on the principle of eliminating waste to increase value, which has not been previously extensively discussed in the context of data management.
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This paper aims to examine when and how the main management paradigms have emerged and prevailed in Finnish management research. It seeks to offer a country‐specific case on the…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to examine when and how the main management paradigms have emerged and prevailed in Finnish management research. It seeks to offer a country‐specific case on the diffusion of management paradigms in the field of management research.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper is a historical study that uses quantitative content analysis as a methodology. The data consist of research proposals funded by eight of the largest Finnish funding agencies during the period 1937‐2007. The results obtained from these data are compared to the emergence and prevalence of the paradigms in Finnish academic management education, as depicted by course descriptions obtained from the study guides of eight main Finnish academic institutions that provide graduate level education in management.
Findings
Management research and management education do not seem to follow the same patterns of adopting different management paradigms. Management paradigms seem to experience upswings in their patterns of use, on average a decade earlier in management research than in education.
Originality/value
As the position of formal scientific management knowledge varies greatly across countries and historical periods, the study contributes to this line of research by giving a descriptive account of the paradigmatic development of management research schemes in Finland which can be compared and contrasted to the development of management research in other countries. The relevance of the study for management theory‐building is in contemplating the relationships between the actors creating, diffusing and using managerial knowledge.
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Eelon Mikael Lappalainen, Olli Seppänen, Antti Peltokorpi and Vishal Singh
With the ongoing digitalization of the construction industry (CI), situational awareness (SA) is becoming increasingly important in construction management. The purpose of this…
Abstract
Purpose
With the ongoing digitalization of the construction industry (CI), situational awareness (SA) is becoming increasingly important in construction management. The purpose of this article is to identify the requirements of SA system development in the CI and to provide recommendations for the future development of SA systems.
Design/methodology/approach
In this exploratory multi-case research study, a literature review and five Finnish cases were used to gather the evidence on how system developers have planned SA systems and what motives and objectives were behind their development efforts. An analysis of the cases, along with a review of SA models and concepts from other sectors, was used to identify requirements and deficiencies of the SA systems developed by CI actors.
Findings
This study reveals deficiencies in the recent SA systems. The systems seemed to be based on traditional project models, in which the role of the individual as the creator and interpreter of an SA system is still significant. Major requirements and future development of the systems are related to better SA levels of perception and projection and data quality.
Research limitations/implications
This study contributes to an understudied area of SA in the construction context and provides new insights into how construction companies develop their SA systems. The main study limitations are its geographically limited case selection and the limited generalizability of the results.
Practical implications
The research (1) shows what requirements and systemic weaknesses SA developers in the CI must consider in future development work and (2) shows developers the requirements to obtain holistic SA.
Originality/value
The study provides insights into the content of newly developed SA models and integrates developers' requirements into the SA theory.
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Janne J. Salovaara and Katriina Soini
The purpose of this paper is to expand the competence-led structuring and understanding of sustainability education by analysing the practices of professional individuals who have…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to expand the competence-led structuring and understanding of sustainability education by analysing the practices of professional individuals who have completed university education geared to the development of sustainability change-makers.
Design/methodology/approach
The research scope was initially on examining professional practices following the boundary work theory. Social practice theory was used as a methodological approach in conducting and analysing thematic interviews with 19 sustainability-focused master’s programme alumni. The interviews were analysed against the theoretical framework while also noting findings that fell outside of this framework.
Findings
A framework for understanding materials, competences and meanings of practices connected to the professional field of sustainability was introduced. The framework suggests that in the practices of sustainability-educated professionals, meanings emerge as a top priority and are conveyed using position-based materials and various complexes of competency.
Research limitations/implications
The authors suggest that boundary theory informs well the emergence of the professional field of sustainability, and the utilisation of a practice theory furthers the understanding of sustainability professionalism and its education.
Practical implications
The authors’ suggest that practice theory could thus provide deeper insights on how sustainability science alumni use their education after graduation, how they practice their profession and in return offer applicable reflections to sustainability education.
Originality/value
Research using practice theory in reflection on sustainability education and the professional practice of sustainability has not been widely conducted and in the authors’ opinion brings value to the education and practice of sustainability and to the research of sustainability education.
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