Thesis
Innovative 8D problem-solving framework to reduce lifecycle management and warranty costs in the maritime sector
- Creator
- Rights statement
- Awarding institution
- University of Strathclyde
- Date of award
- 2025
- Thesis identifier
- T17390
- Person Identifier (Local)
- 201777385
- Qualification Level
- Qualification Name
- Department, School or Faculty
- Abstract
- Remanufacturing is the process of returning used products (or core) to a condition like that of a new product with a matching warranty. Remanufacturing is the most effective process among other recovery options because it can bring cost-effective benefitsfor companies with a positive impact environment. Decision-making in the remanufacturing industry is more complicated than in conventional manufacturing due to uncertainties in design cost estimation, product quality issues, and the return time of used components. Estimating cost has become a significant business driver in many industries. It is the key to the success of all strategic decisions that allow a company to remain competitive globally. However, there needs to be more research on cost estimations and quality issues of multiple radar system product remanufacturing tasks, which are under-studied factors. A cost estimation decision made at one remanufacturing activity would significantly impact the decisions made in subsequent activities, which will affect remanufacturing outcomes. Customer satisfaction is critical for the success of any organisation. This research aims to identify the root cause of the issue and implement a solution to prevent its recurrence using the Lean Eight Disciplines methodology. This includes (1) a 5 Whys analysis by a cross-functional team, (2) confirmation of the problem description, (3) containment actions, (4) root cause analysis of the occurrence, (5) permanent corrective actions, (6) implementation of the permanent corrective action, (7) actions to prevent a recurrence, and (8) closure with an 8D report and congratulations to the cross-functional team template for the design, engineering, and supplier production sites. Therefore, this study developed a systematic and holistic way of producing radar system design costing strategies for maritime products with improved quality for remanufacturing value-added benefits for the organisation and a longer life cycle of remanufactured units. This research studied radar systems remanufacturing suppliers’ cost estimation issues using the costing requirement questionnaire and benchmarking analysis of manufacturing processes to develop a parametric cost trade-off tool for the remanufacturing activities. The research used case studies to present the development and implementation of the Eight Disciplines (8D) investigation tool for addressing product design and development issues for remanufacturing. The novelty in case studies is the development of an 8D analytics template for product managers and practitioners in the remanufacturing and production companies to improve the quality and reliability of the radar systems. This study used mathematical costing modelling to enhance the ability to research various cost estimation models. This leads to higher quality cost estimation using a comparison between an analogy, parametric, and detailed cost drivers of the radar systems, which is the research output. This thesis introduces the 8D Template, a tailored 8D problem-solving framework integrated with 5 Whys specifically for maritime radar systems. By applying this framework across four case studies, the research achieved a substantial £603,198 reduction in warranty costs. Additionally, analysing radar design configurations and life cycle costs led to a high-level breakdown structure, revealing cost tradeoffs and enabling an estimated 15% reduction in Non-Recurring Costs (NRC) and 12% in Unit Through-life Costs (UTC). Establishing a design costing knowledge hub facilitated accurate cost estimates through identified parametric equations, while targeted design improvements on high-failure components further reinforced cost and quality efficiencies. The remanufacturing of radar systems for the maritime sector has garnered increasing interest in recent years due to the need to address the end-of-life stages for high-value products. This study reviewed design costing frameworks, cost trade-off techniques, and cost estimation methods which can be used in the maritime sector to develop cost estimation tools for radar systems. This study used benchmarking analysis of maritime best practices to identify how product life cycle costing solutions can be used to reduce design, operational, remanufacturing, and production costs to improve profit, minimise downtime of radar systems and maximise the reliability of the radar system components. This research finding will help remanufacturers in the maritime sector to find new growth and business opportunities by increasing the cost and improving quality using templates to resolve design or product issues, such as gearbox triple seal, pulley and improved photodiode for remanufacturing units.
- Advisor / supervisor
- Windmill, James
- Ijomah, Winifred
- Resource Type
- DOI
- Date Created
- 2024
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