Sales and product service

Master’s Thesis: Developing S&OP process to Support Production Planning at the Rock Drill Factory

Are you a motivated Engineering or Economics student? Are you looking for a Master’s thesis subject? We may have one just for you at Sandvik's Tampere Rock Drills Technology Unit!

We have an open position for you to write a thesis on Developing S&OP process at the Rock Drills Technology Unit.

Background and Objective:

The goal of this Master's thesis is to design and develop a Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP) process that actively supports production planning at the Rock Drills Technology Unit, which operates as an internal supplier of critical components to other business units within Sandvik.

The development work will focus on aligning the factory’s S&OP process with the internal customers’ S&OP cycles, improving the flow and utilization of real-time demand information across the end-to-end (E2E) value chain, and clarifying the roles and responsibilities within the S&OP process.

In the long term, the aim is to improve supply chain performance through a structured, transparent, and actively used S&OP process.

Scope and Deliverables

Core Scope:

Design and document an S&OP process that actively supports the rock drill supply chain
Align the S&OP process timeline with internal customers’ S&OP cycle and decision-making
Pilot parts of the S&OP process in selected product streams or planning cycles
Collect initial feedback from stakeholders on the usability and effectiveness of the new process
Define clear roles, responsibilities, and stakeholder engagement within the S&OP process
Model the E2E demand data flow and demonstrate how it can be applied to the factory-level S&OP process

Could Have:

Define process metrics and targets to enable performance monitoring
Build a Power BI dashboard prototype for process-level monitoring (e.g., demand visibility, forecast accuracy, production adherence)
Mapping possible AI-tools and future development possibilities

Out of Scope:

Changes in organization structure and resources
Customer division’s internal demand planning
System integrations beyond Power BI visualization
IT-system implementations and modifications

Background and environment

Sandvik is a global, high-tech engineering group providing solutions that enhance productivity, profitability and sustainability for the manufacturing, mining and infrastructure industries. We are at the forefront of digitalization and focus on optimizing our customers’ processes. Our world-leading offering includes equipment, tools, services and digital solutions for machining, mining, rock excavation and rock processing. In 2024 the Group had approximately 41,000 employees and revenues of about SEK 123 billion in more than 150 countries.

Your profile

We are looking for someone finishing up their Master of Engineering or Economics studies in industrial management, logistics engineering, business development, supply chain or similar. You should have:

- Relevant work experience

- Prior knowledge / experience on supply chains

- A healthy amount of motivation

The results should include the written report (either in English or in Finnish) required for your degree and a presentation for Sandvik.

Why write your thesis for us?

A compensation will be paid for the thesis after completion and presentation. In addition to this, you will get the tools you need to succeed in your work. We will provide you with a workstation, a laptop, and other necessities. The thesis work will not be done in Sandvik’s employment, but as external work.

We will support you in your thesis work throughout the process. We expect you to work on site frequently in order to build connections and to get full support of the organization.

How to apply

Send your application as soon as possible and no later than 17.8.2025. Include a letter of application, your curriculum vitae, a transcript of records and a cover letter.

For further information, please contact Director, Rock Drills Technology Unit, Eerikki Virtanen, tel. +358 50 325 0432 or Order Delivery Specialist, Jani Tiukka, tel. +358 40 533 7438.

Job ID: R0080726

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