Ruta de navegación

carrusel-investigacion_vw

Aplicaciones anidadas

Aplicaciones anidadas

investigacion_txt_intro

The fundamental pillar of the Chairof businessVolkswagen Navarra-University of Navarra is research. Through the call for research projects, the Chairof businessmanages to promote the study of specific problems that arise in companies and organisations.

investigacion_txt_intro_temas

The thematic areas that have been most frequently developed within Chairare the following:

  • Continuous improvement and people: encompasses projects on organisational improvement whose main focus goalis to generate new knowledge on the relationship between continuous improvement, employee performance and the environment at work.

  • Innovation with external agents: includes projects that analyse the factors that determine Degreeinnovation within companies. Special emphasis is placed on innovation practices that link companies with external agents that make up the networksupply chain and with others that also form part of the companies' environment.

  • researchtechnical: includes projects related to mobilityeco-friendly and manufacturing processes, such as improvements that contribute to decreasing pollution Degree, energy efficiency issues, cost and time improvements in production activities.

  • Challenges associated with the transformation of the plant from combustion vehicles to electric cars. Both technical and organizational challenges are of interest, as well as those related to employees.

investigacion

Since 2010, with the renewed Chair of business, seven calls for projects have been developed research. By June 2023, 25 projects had been carried out. It is worth highlighting the multidisciplinary nature of these projects. Thus, from the academic point of view, teams from research from Schools as diverse as Engineering, Economics, Communication, Medicine, Science, Geography or design have participated. Regarding Volkswagen Navarra, there have also been many Departments involved such as: Painting, Personnel Management Service, Communication, Environment, Logistics, among others.

It should be noted that Chair has become a national and international reference in the development of collaborative research projects under the context of a agreement business -university. To this end, the search for means to achieve greater internal and external visibility of the results of the projects has had special relevance. In this sense, academic publications, events and the production of videos have played a role core topic to communicate the business and academic impact of the work carried out.

The multidisciplinarityand developmentof a team of researchmade up of researchers from the University of Navarra and managers from VW Navarra represent the key aspects for the successful developmentof these projects.

proyectos-desplegable

Calls for projects of research

Qualitative and quantitative study to improve the indicator of absenteeism in Volkswagen Navarra".

researcher principal: Anna Dulska - group of research "Vínculos, Creatividad y Cultura".
coordinator Volkswagen Navarra: Mónica Blanco - area de Prevención.

This project proposes to find causes and offer solutions to the problem of absenteeism identified by Volkswagen Navarra in its direct workforce.  

Droplet and thickness analysis of TTS-KTL  

researcher principal: Javier Santos - TECNUN
coordinator VW Navarra: José Luis Lapiedra Gascón, Paint Section

The goal of this project is to know if there is a cause-effect relationship between KTL process parameters and two quality indicators of the painted surface. The project will be developed from agreement to the CRISP-DM (Cross Industry Standard Process for Data Mining) methodology.

training in VW Navarra's new value chart

researcher principal: Victoria Rodríguez Chacón - ISSA/Economicas
coordinator VW Navarra: Eugenia Larrea - Personnel Management Service

This project aims to design the plan of training and development of the staff of Volkswagen Navarra, so that workers reflect in their daily work the values promoted by the company. The development of these values implies a change in the corporate culture. This change forces the business to take advantage of and promote diversity at all levels in order to meet the expectations of the company, the customers and its collaborators and thus achieve brand profitability. From the point of view of the academic contribution, this project is part of a doctoral thesis to be carried out at School of Education and Psychology, in the field of organizational learning and whose goal is to design, monitor and evaluate a program of training and development of values that leads to a change in the culture of an organization.

 

Quantification of parameters that influence the quality of the paint in the production line of Volkswagen Navarra, S.A.

researcher principal: Stella Salvatierra - Economics
coordinator VW Navarra: Amaya Novoa - Process Planning

The goal of project is to analyze and quantify the importance of certain parameters in the quality of the paint by means of techniques of data analysis. This work will allow to enhance the line of research on Data Analytics of the School of Economics coordinated by Professor Stella Salvatierra.

 

Study on possible post-treatment of effluent from the VW-Navarra wastewater treatment plant.

researcher principal: Francisco Javier Peñas Esteban - Chemistry
coordinator VW Navarra: Ana Moreno - Environment

The aim of this project is to investigate the operational feasibility of an activated sludge bioreactor fed with phenolic effluent from VW-Navarra. At the same time, the efficiency of phenol removal by advanced oxidation processes will be studied in parallel. From the point of view of group of research of the University of Navarra, this project will allow to explore the behavior of an industrial effluent, which presents a relevant ionic strength, before two types of treatment: conventional (biological) and advanced (photooxidation).

Analysis of area of communication in open innovation processes: the case of VW Navarra.

researcher principal: Mónica Recalde and José Antonio Alfaro - Communications and Economics
coordinator VW Navarra: Jesus Zorrilla - Communication

The specific project presented here is a double goal. From the point of view of VW Navarra, it allows to determine the Degree of development of the role of communication in the field of open innovation in VW Navarra and to propose measures to improve and enhance the role of communication in VW Navarra within the scope of open innovation projects that are developed in the plant. From the academic point of view, it will help to develop a case that serves to validate the theoretical framework developed on the role of communication in open innovation processes.

Study of the laser cord defective

researcher principal: Elisabeth Viles - TECNUN
coordinator VW Navarra: Ignacio Olalde - Production

A methodology is proposed, based on the technique of design of experiments (DoE), to help identify the main factors that influence the appearance of defects in bodywork elements and that become visible at the exit of the paint drying oven. This methodology takes as a starting point that a problem has been identified and the aim is to solve it or reduce its impact, with the help of experimentation. The model used in this project is an adaptation of the model DMAIC (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control) of the Six Sigma improvement program. 

Changes in the daily mobility of VW Navarra workers.

researcher principal: Juan José Pons - Geography
coordinator VW Navarra: Ana Moreno - Environment

The main goal of this project is to carry out a comparative analysis of the bus routes implemented in 2018 with respect to the previous status . This analysis will be carried out in terms of fuel and CO2 emissions, and will be done from the point of view of the changes in both collective transport and the mobility of the workers of the factory as a whole.

Identification of critical points in the tightening of bolts in VW Navarra's production line.

researcher principal: Stella Salvatierra - School de Económicas
coordinator VW Navarra: Roberto Goñi and Ana Amatriáin - IT Sistemas
The goal of the project is, by means of data analytics techniques, to improve process assurance in the assembly field. This project will allow to propose an application that will allow to predict in real time the variants that are being manufactured at that moment, and to reduce the rework.


Gamification at VW Navarra

researcher principal: Javier Santos - TECNUN
coordinator VW Navarra: Daniel Agreda - training
This project seeks to assess the suitability of investing in gamification strategies in the short term deadline, including some of the Lean principles of the Volkswagen Navarra Production System Method. For this purpose, a pilot experience will be carried out, consisting of three rounds, comparing two groups of workers joining the plant. During the training workshops in the plant, it will be possible to compare if there are differences in the basis of knowledge acquired.


design and development of a customized 3D printed wearable for measuring the pressure exerted by operators during clipping operations.

researcher principal: Mabel Rodríguez and Paz Morer - TECNUN
coordinator VW Navarra: Juan Manuel Hernández - Prevention Service
The main goal of this project is to design and manufacture a wearable device of subject glove that allows to sensor the pressure exerted by the operators of the assembly line of Volkswagen Navarra in the fingertips and palm of the hand in the operations called clipping. This device will have novel features in the state of the art of this technology because it will be manufactured using additive manufacturing technologies with low-cost embedded sensors. The main advantage of using these technologies will be the improvement of comfort and ergonomic conditions for the operators. 


Reducing CO2 footprint by optimizing long-haul material supply routes

researcher principal: Victoria Rodríguez - Economics/ISSA
coordinator VW Navarra: Vicente Santamaría - Logistics
This project consists of developing a simulator to define the optimal supply routes for materials coming from Europe. The quality of the routes will be evaluated taking into account the logistic, environmental and inventory costs associated with these routes. This project aims to examine the environmental costs associated with the sourcing system and to seek a sustainable balance between monetary costs and external costs.


Changes in the daily mobility of VW Navarra workers.

researcher principal: Juan José Pons - Geography
coordinator VW Navarra: Ana Moreno - Environment
The main goal of this project is to check the evolution of the mobility of the workers of the Volkswagen Navarra factory. To this end, firstly, the aim is to analyze the evolution of the mobility of the workers since the beginning of the Plan until the present day. Secondly, we will quantify, in terms of fuel and CO2 emissions, the changes in both collective transport and the mobility of the workers of the factory as a whole.

Estimation and improvement of VW Navarra's resilience level.

researcher principal: Leire Labaka - TECNUN
coordinator VW Navarra: Félix de los Reyes

The department of Industrial Organization of Tecnun has been researching for some time on issues of crisis management and in particular on the concept of resilience. One of the thesis carried out in this department presents a framework that financial aid to improve the level of resilience of critical infrastructures. Using this framework as a starting point, the main goal of the project is to implement this framework of resilience in Volkswagen Navarra, S.A. to diagnose the current level of resilience of the business and provide improvement policies to improve this level.

Materials for the training environmental in VW Navarra

researcher principal: Marta Ormazábal - TECNUN
coordinator VW Navarra: Ana Moreno - Environment

It has been shown that in the field of quality, for example, the lack of documentation and formalized communication of the improvement projects that are carried out and implemented in the companies, prevent the achievement of excellence. For this reason, the main goal of project is to put in value all this environmental knowledge generated in a specific area . Through different materials, the environmental knowledge generated will be transmitted to workers, suppliers, other plants of group and other interested agents.

Reducing CO2 footprint by optimizing long-haul material supply routes

researcher principal: Victoria Rodríguez - Economics
coordinator VW Navarra: Lucinio Sebastián - Logistics

In a previous project the team designed supply routes to assembly lines for previously established production volumes. From the results of that project a series of needs have arisen to optimize the supply systems. This project aims to examine the environmental costs associated with the long-haul procurement system and to seek a sustainable balance between monetary and external costs.

Absenteeism and job satisfaction: an analysis of the case of VW Navarra

researcher principal: Ricardo Mateo - Economics
coordinator VW Navarra: Jesús Galindo - Personnel Management Service

Absenteeism is a topic of great importance not only in Volkswagen Navarra but also in most of the companies in our country and surrounding countries. In this context, one of the main objectives of this project is to discover, from an empirical point of view, which are the relevant variables to understand the behavior of Volkswagen Navarra employees with respect to their absenteeism decisions. We believe that this empirical analysis can help us to design a plan of measures to improve the absenteeism behavior of employees.

Adaptive granular materials and their application to automotive systems.

researcher principal: Diego Maza - department of Applied Physics
coordinator VW Navarra: Arturo Resano - Production
The central goal of this study is to solve, as far as possible, the occurrence of possible adverse effects produced by current restraints in handling systems, as well as to explore the feasibility of new restraint mechanisms that are useful, both in the assembly line and in other parts of an automotive assembly plant.

Incentive systems and individuals

researcher principal: Javier Arellano
The aim of research is to establish some general principles to guide the best way to define incentive systems so that, by adapting to the personal characteristics of each individual, the level of individual effort applied and the overall performance achieved are maximized.

Organizational structure, motivation and continuous improvement

Principal Investigators: Brice Corgnet and Ricardo Mateo
The researchers will systematically analyze the influence of organizational structure, the influence of incentive systems and promotion policy on employee motivation and continuous learning within business. Thanks to a novel experimental methodology, which will allow the construction of a virtual organization in which crucial elements of real companies will be introduced, those aspects of the companies that are different and relevant, and that may affect the learning and motivation of workers, will be monitored and analyzed separately.

Modification of the shift mode of work in a business and a hospital. assessment subjective and objective.

researcher principal: Jorge Iriarte
One of the detrimental effects of shift work work is that it leads to a decrease in the quality of sleep, with a destructuring of the sleep-wake rhythm, which implies the appearance of daytime symptoms and, in addition, is a factor that can deteriorate work performance. For all these reasons, in this study work we propose to use actimetry to objectify the structure of the sleep-wake cycle in shift workers in two different environments, an automotive factory and a hospital. The organization of the sleep-wake cycle will be studied during a period of one week and comparisons will be made between group of workers and group of controls. Subsequently, a therapy will be applied and a re-evaluation (actimetry, quality of sleep and life, etc.) will be carried out to check if there is an improvement in the parameters studied.

The environment of work as an enhancer of employee conscientiousness and continuous improvement of the organization.

researcher principal: Ricardo Mateo
The main goal of this project of research is to know in depth how the environment of work acts as an enhancer of the conscientiousness of the worker and the continuous improvement of the organization. With this research we will seek to contribute new scientific knowledge to design a new tool that improves the concept of work space and its environment, that improves the productive model orienting it to continuous improvement and that helps the person to predispose him/her to improve permanently in time. As a result, the productivity of companies will increase.

CO2 footprint reduction by optimizing material supply routes to assembly lines

Principal Investigator: Victoria Rodríguez
The interest in the project arose from the need of Volkswagen to design the supply routes for the production of the new Polo and from a previous work carried out by the researchers of the University of Navarra in a washing machine assembly plant. The project aims to answer the environmental cost of the supply routes, to know the effects on the planning and on the final design of the routes, if the production volume varies, and to design a simulator that would allow the establishment and/or evaluation of the supply routes. This research will try to reduce the pollution Degree of the production process by increasing the efficiency of its supply system and will seek to improve costs and times in production activities.

HAFITe. tool from financial aid to Encourage Worker Involvement in the business

researcher principal: Javier Santos
What is known so far about the 5-S is that it lacks a scientific basis and a theoretical model to understand how it works and its results. Some research shows that companies in the West neglect the holistic understanding that the use of the tool implies, focusing only on two of its pillars: cleanliness and order of the work space, so that the results of its application are not sustained over time. It is believed that the main origin of this problem is the lack of cultural influence that the 5-S have for the Japanese, as they are linked to the religious aspects of their beliefs. This project has as goal to create new knowledge about the relationship between continuous improvement, the performance of workers, their involvement with the organization and the environment of work, through the scientific foundation of the 5-S to explain the success of the methodology. Likewise, it is intended to adapt and develop a model that could be implemented considering the cultural reality of Western companies.

Analysis and implementation of tool of management of tasks customizable by the business and the Username to adapt the methodology of continuous improvement to the work of managerial or/and technical teams for the increase of the efficiency of the worker.

researcher principal: Nicolás Serrano
The objectives of project are focused on investigating how to adapt the methodologies of continuous improvement to the knowledge worker (managers and/or middle managers) so that their business has a tool oriented to the management of their work and to the elimination of waste. The tool to be developed is for the exclusive use of staff, but its use by the different members of a group, project or department will improve the communication and visibility of their performance as it will be easier for each person to know and have this information easily available. The originality of the purpose of this study of research lies in the fact that it focuses on the management of each of the tasks, by the individual worker. In this way, the concepts of analysis and continuous and incremental improvement will be transferred to the management of specific tasks.

investigacion_galeria_videos

INVESTIGACION_DESPLEGABLE_PUBLICACIONES

Publications

- Francés-Morcillo, L. (2020). How can we co-design wearables? The Wearable Co-Design Domino: A user-centred methodology to co-design and co-evaluate wearables.thesis directed by Paz Morer and María Isabel Rodríguez Ferradas. TECNUN. University of Navarra.

- Bermeo, J.F. (2108). Essays on Carbon Footprint in Business Operations. thesis doctoral directed by Victoria Rodriguez Chacón. School de Económicas. University of Navarra.

- Fathi, M. (2014). Assembly Line Optimization: Balancing and Part Feeding. thesis doctoral directed by Maria Jesus Alvarez and Victoria Rodriguez Chacón. TECNUN. University of Navarra.

- Rodriguez-Ferradas, M. I., Sanjurjo-San Martin, E. L., & Alfaro-Tanco, J. A. (2023). Relevant Factors Influencing Cognitive Distance in the Performance of Collaborative Research Projects. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 22. https://doi.org/10.1177/16094069231174761. https://doi.org/10.1177/16094069231174761

- Yáñez-Galdames, M. J., Alfaro-Tanco, J. A., & Gutiérrez-García, E. (2023). The role of communication in open innovation process: an action research study in the automotive industry. Management Research, 21(2), 194-214 . https://doi.org/10.1108/MRJIAM-01-2022-1259.

- Alfaro-Tanco, José Antonio; Avella, Lucía; Moscoso, Philip; Näslund, Dag. (4/1) 2021. An Evaluation Framework for the Dual Contribution of Action Research: Opportunities and Challenges in the Field of Operations Management, International Journal of Qualitative Methods, Vol. 20, pp. 1-16. DOI: 10.1177/1609406969211017636.

- Francés-Morcillo, L., Morer-Camo, P., Rodríguez-Ferradas, M. I., & Cazón-Martín, A. (2020). Wearable Design Requirements Identification and Evaluation. Sensors, 20(9), 2599.

- Francés, L., Morer, P., Rodriguez, M. I., & Cazón, A. (2019). Design and Development of a Low-Cost Wearable Glove to Track Forces Exerted by Workers in Car Assembly Lines. Sensors, 19(2), 296.

- Bermeo Losada, J. F.; Rodríguez, V. M.; Alvarez, M. J. (2018). Carbon footprint in corporate logistics operations in the food sector. ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT, 27(3), 135 - 146.

- Fathi, M.; Rodriguez, V. M; Fontes, D.; et al. (2016). A modified particle swarm optimisation algorithm to solve the part feeding problem at assembly lines. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PRODUCTION RESEARCH, 54(3), 878 - 893.

- Fathi, M.; Alvarez, M. J.; Rodriguez, V. M. (2016). A new heuristic-based bi-objective simulated annealing method for U-shaped assembly line balancing, EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF INDUSTRIAL ENGINEERING, 10(2), 145 - 169.

- Fathi, M.; Alvarez, M. J.; Mehraban, F.; et al. (2014). A multiobjective optimization algorithm to solve the part feeding problem in mixed-model assembly lines. MATHEMATICAL PROBLEMS IN ENGINEERING.

- Fathi, M., Rodriguez, V. M., Alvarez, M. J. (2014). A novel memetic ant colony optimization-based heuristic algorithm for solving the assembly line part feeding problem. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ADVANCED MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY 75(1), 629 - 643.