Tuotteen ympäristöjalanjälki -menetelmän soveltuvuus ympäristöviestinnän työkaluksi

Työn tavoitteena oli arvioida tuotteen ympäristöjalanjälki –menetelmän (PEF) käytettävyyttä ympäristöviestintään. PEF-metodologiaa vertailtiin muihin ympäristötehokkuuden laskenta- ja viestintätyökaluihin, jotta löydettäisiin PEF:n epäkohtia ja vaihtoehtoja menetelmäpäätösten toimivammaksi muuttamiseen. Työssä tehtiin myös haastattelututkimus yhden tuoteryhmäsääntöjen (PEFCR) laadintaprojektin toimijoille, jotta löydettäisiin PEFCR:ien laadinnan epäkohtia. Työssä arviointiin myös testattavaksi ehdotetun PEF-merkinnän käytettävyyttä ympäristöviestintään. Työssä todettiin, että PEF-metodologiassa on epäkohtia, joiden todellinen merkitys ja vaikutus selviävät vasta pilottivaiheen jälkeen. PEF:ssä on annettu vähemmän vapauksia menetelmäpäätösten tekoon kuin nykyisissä menetelmissä, mutta se mahdollistaa paremmat lähtökohdat halvemmille ja vertailukelpoisemmille selvityksille. Ympäristöviestinnän kannalta erityisesti PEFCR:ien toimivaksi saaminen on hyvin tärkeää, jotta työkalulla on edellytykset käyttöönotolle. Lähtökohdat PEFCR:ien toimivaksi saamiseksi ovat kunnossa, mutta projektin tiukka aikataulu yhdessä PEF:n ja PEFCR:ien kyseenalaisten menetelmäpäätösten kanssa saattavat aiheuttaa ongelmia. Menetelmän käyttöönoton onnistumiseen vaikuttavat myös työkalusta riippumattomat asiat, kuten nykyiset ympäristömerkintäjärjestelmät sekä kuluttajakäytöksen muuttamiseen ja yritysmaailman integrointiin PEF:n käyttäjiksi liittyvät haasteet.

Sm14 gene expression in different stages of the Schistosoma mansoni life cycle and immunolocalization of the Sm14 protein within the adult worm

Sm14 is a 14-kDa vaccine candidate antigen from Schistosoma mansoni that seems to be involved in cytoplasmic trafficking of fatty acids. Although schistosomes have a high requirement for lipids, they are not able to synthesize fatty acids and sterols de novo. Thus, they must acquire host lipids. In order to determine whether Sm14 is present in different stages of the life cycle of the parasite, we performed RT-PCR. Sm14 mRNA was identified in all stages of the life cycle studied, mainly schistosomulum, adult worm and egg. Additionally, we used a rabbit anti-Sm14 polyclonal antibody in an indirect immunofluorescence assay to localize Sm14 in adult worm sections. The basal lamella of the tegument and the gut epithelium were strongly labeled. These tissues have a high flow of and demand for lipids, a finding that supports the putative role of Sm14 as an intracellular transporter of fatty acids from host cells.

Supply base development for life-cycle business

Yritysten liiketoimintamallit ovat jatkuvan kehityksen kohteena. Viimeisinä vuosina valmistavien yhtiöiden kiinnostus huolehtia asiakkaistaan koko tuotteen elinkaaren aikana ja tarjota erilaisia palveluita asiakkailleen on kasvanut. Tämän palvelujen laajentumisen myötä myös vaateet yrityksen omaa toimittajakenttää kohtaan ovat muuttuneet. Yritykset eivät kykene tuottamaan kaikkia tuotteistamiaan palveluja itse, jolloin yrityksen toimittajakenttä ja sen kyvykkyydet tuottaa tarvittavia palveluita ovat avainasemassa yrityksen menestystekijänä. Tämän työn teoriaosuudessa on esitelty toimittajakentän hallinnan perusteorioita. Kirjallisuus osuuden lisäksi työssä on hyödynnetty toimintatutkimusta kohdeyrityksessä. Tässä diplomityössä on tutkittu mahdollisia keinoja kehittää organisaation omaa toimintaa ja sekä yrityksen toimittajakenttää niin, että se tukee liiketoimintamallin kehitystä koneenrakennusyrityksestä kohti elinkaariliiketoimintaa. Työssä esitetyt keinot voidaan ottaa käyttöön, joko yksitellen tai kokonaisuutena.

Novel virtual environment and real-time simulation based methods for improving life-cycle efficiency of non-road mobile machinery

Virtual environments and real-time simulators (VERS) are becoming more and more important tools in research and development (R&D) process of non-road mobile machinery (NRMM). The virtual prototyping techniques enable faster and more cost-efficient development of machines compared to use of real life prototypes. High energy efficiency has become an important topic in the world of NRMM because of environmental and economic demands. The objective of this thesis is to develop VERS based methods for research and development of NRMM. A process using VERS for assessing effects of human operators on the life-cycle efficiency of NRMM was developed. Human in the loop simulations are ran using an underground mining loader to study the developed process. The simulations were ran in the virtual environment of the Laboratory of Intelligent Machines of Lappeenranta University of Technology. A physically adequate real-time simulation model of NRMM was shown to be reliable and cost effective in testing of hardware components by the means of hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) simulations. A control interface connecting integrated electro-hydraulic energy converter (IEHEC) with virtual simulation model of log crane was developed. IEHEC consists of a hydraulic pump-motor and an integrated electrical permanent magnet synchronous motorgenerator. The results show that state of the art real-time NRMM simulators are capable to solve factors related to energy consumption and productivity of the NRMM. A significant variation between the test drivers is found. The results show that VERS can be used for assessing human effects on the life-cycle efficiency of NRMM. HIL simulation responses compared to that achieved with conventional simulation method demonstrate the advances and drawbacks of various possible interfaces between the simulator and hardware part of the system under study. Novel ideas for arranging the interface are successfully tested and compared with the more traditional one. The proposed process for assessing the effects of operators on the life-cycle efficiency will be applied for wider group of operators in the future. Driving styles of the operators can be analysed statistically from sufficient large result data. The statistical analysis can find the most life-cycle efficient driving style for the specific environment and machinery. The proposed control interface for HIL simulation need to be further studied. The robustness and the adaptation of the interface in different situations must be verified. The future work will also include studying the suitability of the IEHEC for different working machines using the proposed HIL simulation method.

Effects of life cycle profits on the profitability of industrial heavy duty cranes

The goal of the thesis was to investigate how much after-sales profits a crane sale generates over the life cycle of the crane and the effects of these after-sales profits on the overall profitability of the crane. The thesis utilizes theories about life cycle costing from an equipment and service supplier’s point of view. However, instead of costs, the thesis is focused on the life cycle after-sales profits from maintenance services and spare parts provided for the sold crane. The case study approach was chosen and a total of five cranes from three different segments were investigated. An eight-step life cycle profit calculation model was developed in order to analyze the chosen cases’ life cycle profits systematically. The results of the investigation suggest that the life cycle after-sales profits are significant in value. In the case analyses they accounted for between 20% and 44% of the overall life cycle profits of the case cranes. The after-sales profits should be taken into account already in the pricing when offering a crane to a customer.

Capital investments planning and life cycle simulations for the new valves manufacturing facility in Russia

The focus of the research is on the derivation of the valid and reliable performance results regarding establishment and launching of the new full-scale industrial facility, considering the overall current conditions for the project realization in and out of Russia. The study demonstrates the process of the new facility concept development, with following perfor-mance calculation, comparative analyzes conduction, life-cycle simulations, performance indicators derivation and project`s sustainability evaluation. To unite and process the entire input parameters complexity, regards the interlacing between the project`s internal technical and commercial sides on the one hand, and consider all the specifics of the Russian conditions for doing business on the other hand, was developed the unique model for the project`s performance calculation, simulations and results representation. The complete research incorporates all corresponding data to substantiate the assigned facility`s design, sizing and output capacity for high quality and cost efficient ferrous pipe-line accessories manufacturing, as well as, demonstrates that this project could be suc-cessfully realized in current conditions in Russia and highlights the room for significant performance and sustainability improvements based on the indexes of the derived KPIs.

Item-level life-cycle model for maintenance network – from cost to additional value

The importance of industrial maintenance has been emphasized during the last decades; it is no longer a mere cost item, but one of the mainstays of business. Market conditions have worsened lately, investments in production assets have decreased, and at the same time competition has changed from taking place between companies to competition between networks. Companies have focused on their core functions and outsourced support services, like maintenance, above all to decrease costs. This new phenomenon has led to increasing formation of business networks. As a result, a growing need for new kinds of tools for managing these networks effectively has arisen. Maintenance costs are usually a notable part of the life-cycle costs of an item, and it is important to be able to plan the future maintenance operations for the strategic period of the company or for the whole life-cycle period of the item. This thesis introduces an itemlevel life-cycle model (LCM) for industrial maintenance networks. The term item is used as a common definition for a part, a component, a piece of equipment etc. The constructed LCM is a working tool for a maintenance network (consisting of customer companies that buy maintenance services and various supplier companies). Each network member is able to input their own cost and profit data related to the maintenance services of one item. As a result, the model calculates the net present values of maintenance costs and profits and presents them from the points of view of all the network members. The thesis indicates that previous LCMs for calculating maintenance costs have often been very case-specific, suitable only for the item in question, and they have also been constructed for the needs of a single company, without the network perspective. The developed LCM is a proper tool for the decision making of maintenance services in the network environment; it enables analysing the past and making scenarios for the future, and offers choices between alternative maintenance operations. The LCM is also suitable for small companies in building active networks to offer outsourcing services for large companies. The research introduces also a five-step constructing process for designing a life-cycle costing model in the network environment. This five-step designing process defines model components and structure throughout the iteration and exploitation of user feedback. The same method can be followed to develop other models. The thesis contributes to the literature of value and value elements of maintenance services. It examines the value of maintenance services from the perspective of different maintenance network members and presents established value element lists for the customer and the service provider. These value element lists enable making value visible in the maintenance operations of a networked business. The LCM added with value thinking promotes the notion of maintenance from a “cost maker” towards a “value creator”.

Evaluación de la gestión de residuos derivados del proceso de impresión en Datapoint de Colombia S.A.S, y propuesta de mejora

Este trabajo se centra en el análisis de las actividades desarrolladas en torno a los servicios de procesos de impresión que ofrece la organización DATAPOINT de Colombia SAS para identificar los puntos críticos en la gestión de los residuos de impresión y las decisiones tomadas por parte de los involucrados durante todo el proceso (proveedores, clientes y la empresa), con el fin de revisar medidas y estrategias que permitan fortalecer la gestión integral de residuos de impresión a partir de una revisión y comparación de las mejores prácticas planteadas por los actores del sector. También se efectuaron recomendaciones con acciones de mejora que se podrían desarrollar con el fin de mitigar el impacto ambiental generado por estos residuos. Con la finalidad de cumplir con lo planteado se realizó inicialmente un estudio sobre la organización, sus clientes y proveedores para entender de manera integral la cadena de valor en torno a los tóner y su gestión inversa, (explicar) al igual que el entorno normativo tanto de manera nacional como internacional. Posteriormente, se identificaron los puntos de mejora comparando lo planteado por el proveedor versus lo ejecutado por los involucrados en el proceso, labor se realizó en campo con los clientes para entender la situación actual, sus necesidades y en que basan la toma de decisiones relacionada con el manejo de los residuos de impresión. Finalmente se listaran una serie de acciones de mejora y recomendaciones las cuales pueden ser incorporadas a los procesos críticos de DATAPOINT.

High and steady or low and rising? : vocational versus general education in life-cycle earnings. 'Alto y estable o bajo y en alza? : formación profesional versus general en los ingresos del ciclo de vida'.

Resumen basado en el de la publicación

Life-cycle simulations of shallow frontal waves and the impact of deformation strain

The life-cycle of shallow frontal waves and the impact of deformation strain on their development is investigated using the idealised version of the Met Office non-hydrostatic Unified Model which includes the same physics and dynamics as the operational forecast model. Frontal wave development occurs in two stages; first, a deformation strain is applied to a front and a positive potential vorticity (PV) strip forms, generated by latent heat release in the frontal updraft; second, as the deformation strain is reduced the PV strip breaks up into individual anomalies. The circulations associated with the PV anomalies cause shallow frontal waves to form. The structure of the simulated frontal waves is consistent with the conceptual model of a frontal cyclone. Deeper frontal waves are simulated if the stability of the atmosphere is reduced. Deformation strain rates of different strengths are applied to the PV strip to determine whether a deformation strain threshold exists above which frontal wave development is suppressed. An objective method of frontal wave activity is defined and frontal wave development was found to be suppressed by deformation strain rates $\ge 0.4\times10^{-5}\mbox{s}^{-1}$. This value compares well with observed deformation strain rate thresholds and the analytical solution for the minimum deformation strain rate needed to suppress barotropic frontal wave development. The deformation strain rate threshold is dependent on the strength of the PV strip with strong PV strips able to overcome stronger deformation strain rates (leading to frontal wave development) than weaker PV strips.