Product Introduction in Low-volume Manufacturing : from an Information Quality Perspective

Sammanfattning: Manufacturing companies must continually innovate and introduce new products to stay competitive in the global market. Therefore, their success depends on a well-executed product introduction process, which involves transitioning from design to production and aligning product and production systems. A successful product introduction process leads to shorter time-to-market and fewer disturbances in production. A key part of the product introduction process is collaboration and interaction between design and production which highly relies on development and sharing of information. Hence, the content quality of the developed and shared information in design-production interface plays a crucial role in the product introduction process.Low-volume manufacturing companies, an important part in European and global manufacturing sector, producing diverse and complex products, face unique challenges in introducing new products which are caused by their characteristics and requirements. Existing studies primarily rely on the findings from high-volume manufacturing context and do not cover the characteristics and requirements of low-volume manufacturing. Limited studies about product introduction process in low-volume manufacturing industries lack a comprehensive understanding of different aspects of product introduction in such industries, especially regarding the role of information quality. This research project aims to examine the product introduction process in low-volume manufacturing and the role of information content quality in the process.To fulfill the objective of the research, empirical data from seven case studies conducted in two manufacturing companies have been collected and analyzed to investigate the influences of the characteristics of products and production systems in low-volume manufacturing on the product introduction process, the role of the information content quality in the process and the management strategies that can enhance the information content quality. The findings of this thesis map the characteristics of products and production systems in low-volume manufacturing, their inter-relations, and their influences on the product introduction process. Based on that the characteristics, activities, and phases of product introduction process for low-volume products has been defined. Moreover, the types and sources of disturbances during product introduction in low-volume manufacturing have been investigated. Furthermore, the role of the information content quality in the low-volume product introduction process and the identified disturbances have been investigated. Information correctness, completeness, accuracy, clarity, consistency and timeliness have been identified as the information content quality dimensions that are impacted by the characteristic of product introduction in low-volume manufacturing. Finally, customizing the product introduction management strategies to the requirements and characteristics of the low-volume manufacturing to enhance the content quality of information that is developed and shared in design-production interface has been studied. In particular, the role of advanced digital technology practices as an integrated part of different product introduction management strategies in enhancement of information content quality has been discussed.