Developing an Electrical/Electronic Component Qualification Process for the Case Company
Thurairaj, Rajasalan (2019)
Thurairaj, Rajasalan
2019
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Julkaisun pysyvä osoite on
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-201905119270
https://urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:amk-201905119270
Tiivistelmä
This thesis focuses on developing an Electrical/electronic component qualification process for the case company, a large-scale original equipment manufacturer (OEM). Electrical and Electronic component are the key elements in the products manufactured by the company. Demand of components has surpassed the supply, which has led to component scarcity. Moreover, rapid change in component technology and component portfolio consolidation has made the situation worse. Hence, the existing component qualification process could not live up to the task, and hence, there was a need to develop a component qualification process that would enable efficiency and address the business needs for broadening the supply base in the company and mitigate the risk of component scarcity.
This study utilized Design research and qualitative data analysis, as the outcome of the thesis is a working solution ready for implementation. The research design of this thesis consists of four phases that include three data collection rounds. Data came from the company internal documents, workshop, interviews, and telephonic discussions.
The study started by conducting the current state analysis to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the current component qualification practices. It was followed by a literature study to address the identified weakness in order to build a proposal for a new component qualification process. The proposal for the new process blended together (a) the strengths from the existing practices, (b) the ideas from the literature that were merged into the conceptual framework, and (c) the input from the stakeholder’s suggestions and feedbacks. Based on them, the study proposed a component qualification as a process, coupled with an established responsibility assignment matrix in the form of RACI chart connecting all the participant who are involved in the process. The proposed component qualification process was simulated using a custom-developed application software for validation.
When implemented, the proposed component qualification process will benefit all the product groups in the company and help to standardize their processes and practices. Most importantly, the process will facilitate the broadening of the supply base, improve the process efficiency, and enable better traceability. This will help to address availability issues and meet on-time delivery of the products. The proposed process was approved for implementation in the case company.
This study utilized Design research and qualitative data analysis, as the outcome of the thesis is a working solution ready for implementation. The research design of this thesis consists of four phases that include three data collection rounds. Data came from the company internal documents, workshop, interviews, and telephonic discussions.
The study started by conducting the current state analysis to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the current component qualification practices. It was followed by a literature study to address the identified weakness in order to build a proposal for a new component qualification process. The proposal for the new process blended together (a) the strengths from the existing practices, (b) the ideas from the literature that were merged into the conceptual framework, and (c) the input from the stakeholder’s suggestions and feedbacks. Based on them, the study proposed a component qualification as a process, coupled with an established responsibility assignment matrix in the form of RACI chart connecting all the participant who are involved in the process. The proposed component qualification process was simulated using a custom-developed application software for validation.
When implemented, the proposed component qualification process will benefit all the product groups in the company and help to standardize their processes and practices. Most importantly, the process will facilitate the broadening of the supply base, improve the process efficiency, and enable better traceability. This will help to address availability issues and meet on-time delivery of the products. The proposed process was approved for implementation in the case company.