Engineering Change management: A study on how to develop an Engineering Change Management framework at Northvolt AB

Abstract

Abstract Northvolt, an explorer in battery manufacturing, has been developing various types of battery cells for different applications. For this, there is a wide range of activities involved in producing batteries successfully. This includes R&D, sourcing the raw materials, getting components from the suppliers, testing the material- part and assembly level, producing battery cells, battery module making, and finally, deliver ing the product. In parallel to these developmental activities, changes emerge, and these can be on a whole termed error correction, performance enhancements, and business-related factors. The changes can vary from a clerical change in a drawing to a supplier change that affects the entire process line. And these changes are largely iterative (plan, test and review) in nature and span for weeks. In a fast-growing organization like Northvolt, a proper system to streamline the workflow in managing these changes is essential. The main objective of this thesis is to study the current system in the company, specifically in the cell design division, and form a working framework that focuses on impact analysis. The process flow evolves with the aid of literature and feedback from the stakeholders- The aim is to use the Engineer ing change management layout on the abstract level and build a customized set-up concurrent to the organization’s requirements.