I want to make industry aware of variation and how that should influence our actions because that enables us to be proactive and implement product and production innovations.
Congratulations to your degree of Doctor of Philosophy! On 30th September you held your public defense of your thesis with the title “Predictability – an enabler of weld production development”. Can you describe your thesis?
Welding is very influential to society; more than one third of the Swedish GDP has weld related content. The industry needs to adapt to rapid changes, reduced environmental impact, and increased productivity. A lot of innovations supporting this has however not been implemented in the industry. My research shows that well used process information facilitates predictability, which in turn will enable this important weld production development. To understand variation and have a capable evaluation process is necessary. That can be achieved by using well known tools like control charts and measurement system analysis, because that creates a shared nomenclature across functions.
What do you see as the main contribution from your work?
My research has connected several areas, like welding, quality, and production, creating a holistic approach. Since I was an industrial doctoral student I also got the perspectives from both academia and industry. That makes my research very valid for practical implications in industry. I see a significant development in understanding variation at my company, which I believe my research has contributed to. The PULL-approach model for quality assurance I developed, with an information-need instead of equipment focus, can also be used in other settings than welding.
As you now have completed your doctoral studies, what will your future work focus on?
I will work with manufacturing research in Europe, at Volvo Construction Equipment. That will enable me to continue contributing to production, in the interesting intersection between industry and academia. I will take part in several research projects.
Link to digital version of thesis: LINK
/PADOK
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