| Summary: | Today´s industry is driven into development by an increasingly difficult situation of competition that gives less room for miscalculations in the production. One of the most important factors in maintaining your competitiveness is your ability to quickly and efficiently adopt new methods of manufacturing. With the help of new manufacturing methods, the company can improve product design, add new value creating features, and get a faster and more flexible production. However, problems arose with the grading of new manufacturing methods, in order to understand their matureness and if they are ready to be taken into production. This paper aims to investigate the possibility of a rating scale for manufacturing methods and then test this scale on a case study at Volvo CE, Eskilstuna, regarding their introduction of the method Power Skiving in their gear manufacturing. Through studying secondary data regarding already applicable methods for rating of the maturity of technologies and products that are to be introduced into production. Furthermore, have articles regarding proposed methods of rating the maturity of manufacturing methods been revised in order to get an insight into the current situation of rating manufacturing methods and to see what in specific could be of usefulness in rating manufacturing technologies. Beyond secondary data interviews have been conducted with the division of production development at Volvo CE Eskilstuna and with the Director Global Manufacturing Technology at Volvo CE. With the goal of gaining information regarding what they consider crucial in rating manufacturing methods and what is of importance in order to make this rating scale useful in the everyday work. Visits have been made in the production of slewing rings at Volvo CE in order to be able to gather data for the case study regarding the possible introduction of Power Skiving in Volvo CE´s gear manufacturing. The Authors have been able to construct certain criteria that aim to support todays rating matric of introduction of new products in order for it to also work for rating the readiness of new manufacturing methods. Today rating scales for manufacturing methods aren’t widely accepted, the authors, however, assume that it will gain acceptance and there will be more research regarding this subject. Further studies regarding documentation of the ratings and how this rating could be further integrated into daily operation at a company is recommended.
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