Thesis Worker Proposal - Design for Maintainability and its approach during the Product Development
Göteborg, SE, 417 56
Transport is at the core of modern society. Imagine using your expertise to shape sustainable transport and infrastructure solutions for the future. If you seek to make a difference on a global scale, working with next-gen technologies and the sharpest collaborative teams, then we could be a perfect match.
Background
Thesis work proposal (M.Sc or B.Sc depending on agreed scope). Start around October 2026.
Heavy-duty road transport is undergoing a significant transition toward CO2 neutrality. To support this transition, it is crucial that zero emission vehicles like battery electric (BEV) or Fuel Cell Vehicles (FCEV) can reach cost of ownership parity to Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) vehicles. One important part of cost of ownership is the cost of repairing and maintaining the vehicles, the maintenance cost.
To achieve a good maintenance cost, Design for Maintainability is KEY. Volvo Trucks defines Maintainability as the time and cost for vehicle Maintenance required to retain and operate the truck in its optimum condition. Additionally, from Literature, Maintainability is the inherent characteristic of a design or installation / design characteristic / design parameter. Considering Maintainability as a Design parameter, this characteristic should be considered in the Product Development Process (PDP), especially in the early phases of product development and be part of the design solution decisions.
Volvo Trucks have created tools, guidelines and systems to support during the Product Development Process, but questions still remain. How Design for Maintainability is being considered outside Volvo Group during the PDP? What are the links, lessons, limitations faced in the companies when balancing Maintainability requirements in the product?
Content and goal
The thesis aims to answer the following questions:
• How is maintainability specified, measured, and reviewed in the PDP in different sectors where Uptime is a critical factor (Heavy Machinery, Rail, Aviation among others)?
• Which tools/metrics (Maintenance cost, Mean-Time-To-Repair, accessibility index, modularity measures) are commonly used to measure Maintainability?
• Which practices from outside automotive could significantly improve automotive Design for Maintainability?
• Which Design for Maintainability elements are missing or weak in typical PDP`s?
• How can the interaction be between Maintainability and other product characteristics like Reliability, Availability and Safety?
To answer these questions, it will be necessary to conduct a cross-sector benchmark study to understand the current situation. It will also be necessary to check the sectors how differ in their Design for Maintainability practices, and which best practices can be transferred to improve maintainability in automotive products. This research will need to be solidly based on theory and possible study cases. Part of the work will also be to identify new questions and needs in the area, and the scope can be adjusted if needed. Expectation is to have a final report showing the main aspects found during the research. We also encourage presenting the result as a research paper in conferences and journals.
Suitable Background
We are looking for candidates in the final year of their engineering studies, likely from faculties of Mechanical/Electrical Engineering, Production or Product Engineering. An interest or experience in automotive engineering, Maintenance and Product Development perspective, is highly valued.
Ready for the next move?
If you want to make a real impact in your career, the transportation business is where you want to be. We look forward to meeting you.
If you have any questions please contact: Simão Marcon – simao.marcon@volvo.com or
Joachim Gunmalm - joachim.gunmalm@volvo.com
We value your data privacy and therefore do not accept applications via mail.
Who we are and what we believe in
We are committed to shaping the future landscape of efficient, safe, and sustainable transport solutions. Fulfilling our mission creates countless career opportunities for talents across the group’s leading brands and entities.
Applying to this job offers you the opportunity to join Volvo Group. Every day, you will be working with some of the sharpest and most creative brains in our field to be able to leave our society in better shape for the next generation. We are passionate about what we do, and we thrive on teamwork. We are almost 100,000 people united around the world by a culture of care, inclusiveness, and empowerment.
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