Return process Development at Siemens Industrial Turbomachinery AB

Abstract: Siemens Industrial Turbomachinery AB (SIT) manufactures gas turbines, conducts service and develop gas and steam gas turbines. The organization is located in Finspång and in Trollhättan with customers positioned all over the world. During later years the service operation has grown in volume significantly, and at the moment the organization returns number of parts for repair and recondition every year. During maintenance of a Customer turbine SIT uses both tools and instruments that when the maintenance is completed are returned to SIT in Finspång. The master thesis has studied the return processes for Siemens Industrial Turbomachinery AB for goods from the Customer site to Siemens Industrial Turbomachinery in Finspång and Trollhättan. The return processes can be divided into three main types: Planned Maintenance, Unplanned Maintenance and Tools and Instruments. The return processes and their adjacent processes have been mapped up in order to receive a picture over the present situation. The study has also summarized the demands from the processes before, during and after the return process. From the summarized demands, 26 actions have been formed that are directed at the return process. The actions have been prioritized and discussed during two seminars with personal with knowledge about the return process from different departments at Siemens. The prioritization and the authors’ own knowledge about the return process have resulted in suggestions for how Siemens Industrial Turbomachinery shall focus their work of improvement. The suggestions have been divided up into three steps so Siemens shall focus on the right action in the right order during the work of improvement. The actions include better communication, a reduced variation, correct hand over between processes and sub processes, change in work routines and an idea regarding necessary information for the process to be able to improve. One of the most important areas is that Siemens need to improve the basic data to be able to manage the returns when the maintenance of the customer turbine is planned. Siemens also needs to be able to carry out information regarding the return to the personal at customer site in a better way. The study has also examined how an internal measurement system would improve the return process. Of 22 measure points the study has suggested 6 measure points to be implemented in the return process that would help Siemens to better control their return process, make it easier to improve and to be able to make conclusions regarding future changes.