Showing papers on "Shipbuilding published in 2002"

China in the World Market: Chinese Industry and International Sources of Reform in the Post-Mao Era

Abstract: 1. China as a latecomer in world industrial markets 2. The outside world as an impetus for change in China 3. Tailor to the world: China's emergence as a global power in textiles 4. Beating the system with industrial restructuring: China's response to the multifiber arrangement (MFA) 5. China looms large: reform and rationalization in the textile industry 6. Industrial change in the shadow of the MFA: the role of top-level strategy, mid-level intervention, and low-level demand in China's textile industry 7. Chinese shipbuilding: the modest origins of an emerging industrial giant 8. Dangerous currents: navigating boom and bust cycles in international shipbuilding 9. Chinese shipbuilding and global surplus capacity: making a virtue out of necessity 10. Market-oriented solutions for industrial adjustment: the changing pattern of state intervention in Chinese shipbuilding 11. Who did what to whom?: making sense of the reform process in China's shipbuilding industry 12. External shocks, state capacity, and national responses for economic adjustment: explaining industrial change in China 13. China in the contemporary international political economy Appendix: contours of the research effort.

Applying digital manufacturing technology to ship production and the maritime environment

Abstract: This paper is mainly concerned with the digital manufacturing technologies in the context of the shipbuilding industry. New concepts such as digital shipbuilding, virtual shipyard, and simulation‐based design (SBD) will be explored. After reviewing the digital shipbuilding, a case study will be presented using the virtual assembly simulation system for shipbuilding (VASSS), a simulation based tool, to evaluate block erection sequence taking account of shipyard facilities, operational efficiency and equipment replacement time.

Lean production in the japanese shipbuilding industry

Abstract: The adoption of "lean" automobile manufacturing concepts developed by Toyota has been advocated as a means to achieve large improvements in the performance of various other industries, including shipbuilding. The basic goal of lean production is cost reduction via elimination of unnecessary operations, waiting times, and inventories. This goal is self-evidently applicable to any business environment. However, there are specific mechanisms associated with lean production, and their applicability to shipbuilding is not as clear. Has lean production been a significant influence in Japanese shipbuilding? Are Japanese shipbuilders "lean producers"? And is the lean production automobile model the appropriate approach to shipbuilding, or is some other package of best practices more applicable? We approach these questions in two ways. First, we consider the relation of lean principles to production processes in the Japanese shipbuilding industry. Then we describe two recent cases of process improvement in a Japanese shipyard and we discuss the extent to which these reflect lean principles. We propose that if lean production is considered as a general philosophy or set of goals, then the Japanese shipbuilding industry would likely rank ahead of Toyota in terms of achievement. On the other hand, considering the specifically "lean" mechanisms derived from the automobile industry experience, it appears that not all have been applicable to Japanese shipyards.

The Flying Carpet: A Tool to Improve Ship Repair Efficiency

Abstract: 1 Certain trade names and company names are mentioned in this paper; in no case does such identification imply recommendation or endorsement by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, nor does it imply that the products are necessarily the best available for the purposes discussed. This paper is a contribution of the National Institute of Standards and Technology; not subject to U.S. copyright. ABSTRACT: NIST is working directly with industry to improve repair and conversion operations of ships in dry dock. The technology discussed is applicable to shipbuilding, aircraft maintenance, construction, and other industries requiring worker-access to large, external surfaces with minimum footprint and maximum system rigidity and control. The technology augments conventional suspendedscaffold systems by providing safe, rapid access to non-planar surfaces. This approach moves toward more autonomous large-scale manufacturing applications.

Ship inspection support system using a product model

Abstract: Recently, the significance of ship inspections has been increasingly recognized because sea pollution and safety problems are occurring more and more frequently. However, current ship inspections rely on the experience of the workers. Therefore, it is difficult to understand, and hence to improve, the state of ship inspections. In this paper, ship inspection is directed into three stages (plan, do, and check), and the configurations of a total system to support ship inspections are discussed. A prototype system for the “plan” and “do” stages is developed. This is realized by organizing the information that relates to inspection, and defining data models for damage and inspection states. Then the proposed system is integrated with a shipbuilding computer integrated manufacturing (CIM) system so that the ship's structural information can be used effectively. In addition, functions to calculate the damage-finding probability, and functions to generate information about damage and the inspection state are introduced. Therefore, in the planning stage, as inspector can execute a virtual ship inspection, and then the damage-finding probability of each hull part and oversight areas are calculated automatically. Further, by carrying this system into an inspection, an inspector can generate damage information and inspection information simply and easily. Some examples of the proposed system are shown at the end of the paper.

Reliability‐Based Load and Resistance Factor Design (LRFD) Guidelines for Hull Girder Bending

Abstract: Future guidelines for ship hull girder design will be developed using reliability methods, which can be expressed in a special format such as the Load and Resistance Factor Design (LRFD) format. The main objective of this paper is to summarize the development methodology and results of reliability-based guidelines (i.e., LRFD guidelines) for ship structures that were performed for the U.S. Navy and other government agencies. The methodology for developing the LRFD format for ship hull girder bending used in this paper consists of the following steps: (1) Probabilistic characteristics of basic strength and load random variables that are used in structural design were analyzed. Values for these characteristics were recommended for reliability-based design purposes. They were determined based on the statistical analysis of data collected on these design parameters, on values recommended in other studies, or sometimes based on personal judgment. (2) Different load combinations were established and presented with combination and correlation factors; these combinations included stillwater, wave-induced, and wave dynamic bending moments. The correlation between these different load components was accounted for and expressed in the form of correlation factors. (3) Limit states for these load combinations were established based on structural modes of failures. (4) A comparison of different design practices was conducted based on the determination of the nominal values of strength and load values for ship structures to recommend the format required for each design variable. Methods for determining the design (nominal) values of both strength and load variables were presented as detailed calculation procedures. (5) Target reliability levels as used in other studies were summarized and ranges of target reliability levels were selected for the limit states. (6) Partial safety factors for the ranges of target reliability levels were calculated based on level 2 reliability methods. The paper also includes a detailed description of the methodology and sample guidelines for ship hull girder design with examples demonstrating their use.

A shipbuilding productivity predictor.

Abstract: The first author has been working on the development of a Shipbuilding Productivity Predictor for many years. His first attempt was presented as a SNAME Section paper in 1998. It used only two parameters, namely, size and Technology Level of the shipyard. However, it was clear that other parameters, such as throughput, vertical integration, range of ship types, and the ratio of production workers versus non-production workers also affected productivity, and since that time he has been working to determine what parameters should be included and to develop an equation including all the significant parameters. This paper describes the research performed by the authors and the resulting Shipbuilding Productivity Predictor Equation. It is not the intent that the Productivity Predictor presented should be used by any shipyard to predict a Target Productivity based on its values of the parameters, but rather to show an approach how it could be done, and validate it. If the approach was supported by shipyards around the world it would become more acceptable. Shipyards could then benchmark their actual productivity against the target productivity.

Design and validation of a sensor guided robot control system for welding in shipbuilding

Abstract: New areas in welding large structures in shipbuilding include joining large sections such as double-hull constructions. Joining these sections create great problems for a manual welder since the welding takes place in a closed area with associated work environmental problems. The accessibility to the working area is limited to a man-hole and the use of robots for welding such structures requires new robot design that are adapted for the task as well as the additional requirements of one-off production. This paper will describe research work and results within the ROWER2 project. The aim of the project is to design a robot system for joining ship sections in the final stage when ship sections are to be assembled together in dry dock. Due to a high degree of manual work involved in the assembly procedure of the ship, the project addresses both productivity and quality issues. In addition, much welding operations are done in closed areas and the improvement of working conditions is of great importance as well. An important part within the project is to develop control algorithms for seam tracking during welding. The aim is to be able to cope with tolerances in the joints after manual set-up and tack welding of the structure. The seam tracking method is based on the "through-arc" principle and development of the algorithms was made using simulation techniques. A special software system, FUSE, was developed for this purpose that seam-

Technical and Economic Breakdown of Value Added in Shipbuilding

Abstract: For shipbuilding and other heavy industries, the standard value chain breakdown by stage of production or functional activity provides an incomplete picture, in which some key strategic factors are absent. However, if each stage of production could be further decomposed to reveal factors of production, sourcing strategies, and production scenarios, then essential business strategic characteristics may be captured. This goal was realized by developing a new, more complex type of techno-economic breakdown, which was then implemented at a shipyard in Western Europe. Data from this trial implementation are used to show how the new method can be used in strategic management research in shipbuilding and in other heavy industries.

Evolution of step (estep): an interim report on the exchange of shipbuilding product model data using step

Abstract: Evolution of STEP (ESTEP) is a task within the NSRP ASE Integrated Shipbuilding Environment (ISE) project building upon the work of the MariSTEP consortium and the NIDDESC standards development efforts. The ESTEP Project began in 1999 and will conclude in 2003. The purpose of ESTEP is to validate product model standards for the shipbuilding industry, implement product model data translators, and to further the development of shipbuilding application protocols. Three of the major goals of ESTEP are developing a production-quality piping data exchange capability, expanding shipbuilding structure implementation efforts, and the exchange of parts and part libraries. This paper will focus on the accomplishments during the first phases of the project.

The project 21 smart product model: a new paradigm for ship design, cost estimation, and production planning

Abstract: Pre-production ship design, cost estimation and production planning are traditionally carried out in U.S. shipyards through a process of extensive design work, followed by contacting multiple vendors, and coupled with production planning. This process has long been recognized as time consuming and expensive. In an effort to save time and cost, a number of synthesis models have been developed. These models are collections of trends gleaned from similar vessels. The trends, when combined, provide an estimate for initial discussions with customers, but the estimate is not sufficiently accurate for contract negotiations. An alternative is for shipyards to offer stock designs on which contract design, costing, and production planning work have already been carried out. However, most customers demand designs tailored to their particular needs. The MARITECH ASE Project 21 Smart Product Model (SPM) provides a new paradigm to meet the needs of shipyards and their customers. The SPM is initiated with a parent ship for which design, cost and production data are well known. The parent is then modified to match the customer ship's specifications. The SPM incorporates the modifications by means of an integrated set of first principles programs (e.g., FastShip for hull design) and databases (e.g., of various makes and models of main propulsion engines). The SPM provides shipyards with the speed of the synthesis models, the accuracy of the stock ship approach, and substantially improves the shipyards' competitive position.

The rapid improvement workshop as a tool for change

Abstract: Rapid Improvement Workshops (RIW) have been employed by many industries in many countries as a means of generating improvements. Applications in the shipbuilding industry (or any industry beginning on the road to lean) have shown that RIWs can also be an important tool for change, not only in terms of incremental improvements, but also in terms of changing the culture of an organization. This paper describes the process of conducting RIWs, discusses the tools employed, and gives case studies of their use in shipyards.

A Brief History of Shipbuilding in Recent Times

Abstract: : U.S. shipbuilding has been examined repeatedly in recent years with general agreement about the major findings. from the ship- builders' perspective the major problem is that too few large ships are being ordered and built; and from the perspective of buyers the major problem is that large U.S. built ships cost too much. This paper traces the recent history of world commercial shipbuilding to help understand the current condition and explain its roots and development. It shows that the current situation is not a new problem. It developed over many decades, and U.S. shipbuilders have not been competitive with the world-class builders of commercial ships for many years. It is also important to realize that the shipbuilding industries in many European nations have experienced and now face problems very much like those facing the United States. The summary starts about 60 years ago and focuses on four major historical events that had major impact on shipbuilding-World War, the Suez Crisis in 1956, the OPEC oil embargo in 1973 and the end of the Cold War in 1989.

Design and validation of a sensor guided control system for robot welding in shipbuilding

Abstract: New areas in welding large structures in shipbuilding include joining large sections such as double-hull constructions. Joining these sections create great problems for a manual welder since welding takes place in a closed area with associated work environmental problems. The accessibility to the working area is limited to a manhole and the use of robots for welding such structures requires new robot design that are adapted for the task as well as the additional requirements of one-off production. This paper will describe research work and results within the ROWER-2 project. The aim of the project was to design a robot system for joining ship sections in the final stage when ship sections are to be assembled together in dry dock. Due to a high degree of manual work involved in the assembly procedure of the ship, the project addressed both productivity and quality issues. An important part within the project was to develop control algorithms for seam tracking during welding based on through-arc sensing. The aim was to be able to cope with tolerances in the joints after manual setup and tack welding of the structure. A special software system, FUSE, was developed for this purpose that seamlessly integrates commercial available software tools such as Matlab and Envision (robot simulator). Simulation in FUSE showed that the major part of the development of sensor guided robot control algorithms should be performed by simulation, since it cuts time, expenses and efforts, especially when software simulation is included in the methodology.

Development of a ship detail design expert system

Abstract: As part of an ONR-sponsored STTR project, the authors have been working on a demonstration of the potential capabilities of a detail design expert system. The system is based on a toolkit that significantly reduces the time and cost required to build an advanced expert system, application coordinator and graphical user interface developed by Integration Partners, Inc. The project has focused on development and demonstration of the toolkit, using an air compressor system as the case study. The paper describes the system, discusses the potential benefits and uses of such a system, and presents the case study results.

Application of titanium to construction, civil engineering and ocean development

Abstract: Nippon Steel is exerting efforts to open up new applications for titanium, such as its uses as a material for buildings, civil engineering and ships, and other marine structures. In the building materials field, the company has realized various surface finishes to meet the diverse needs of its customers. In the civil engineering area, it has developed techniques for lining structures with titanium-clad steel sheets. Recently, the company has applied titanium to the pontoons of a floating bridge linking Yumeshima and Maishima Islands in the Port of Osaka. In other marine applications, Nippon Steel has produced all-titanium ships, spurring interest in the wider use of titanium in shipbuilding.

Application of Modern Work Breakdown Structure in Shipbuilding Procedure

Abstract: With the development of shipbuilding technology and the presentation of the concepts of zone construction, interim product and Integrated Hull construction, Outfitting and Painting (IHOP), traditional Ship Work Breakdown Structrue (SWBS) is unsuitable for existing shipbuilding procedure. By studying shipbuilding procedure in several shipyards in China, this paper gives a new SWBS and presents a three dimensional model of Modern Ship Work Breakdown Structure (MSWBS), which integrates process structure, organization structure and product structure in shipbuilding procedure. This model solves the shortage of traditional SWBS that cannot dynamically show shipbuilding procedure. And then this paper discusses the application of MSWBS in three aspects. The first is code design of MSWBS, which consists of the subcode of process structure, the subcode of organizsation structure and the subcode of product structure. The second is design of a data structure model based on MSWBS. The model includes twentyt one data records which are correlative with each shipbuliding cell broken down by MSWBS. As an information exchange platform between departments in shipyard, this model can realize the share of all kinds of data between design department, production planning department, cost management department, supply department and so on in the complete period of shipbuilding. And it brings real time monitor into effect in shipbuilding procedure through trigger mechanism of MSWBS database. The third is risk management in shipbuilding procedure based on risk identification. By applying the MSWBS all kinds of risks can be identified efficiently in shipbuilding procedure. So some strategies can be applied based on the identified risks to reduce losses

A dimensional engineering process for shipbuilding

Abstract: Dimensional engineering practices and tools used in other industries are highly evolved and broadly applicable to shipbuilding. However, because of relatively small product volume per design and relatively high variability in the dimensional attributes of intermediate products, detailed dimensional engineering of each ship design is not economically viable. This paper describes a viable dimensional engineering process for shipbuilding.

Complexity and Controlling of Shipbuilding System

Abstract: This paper discusses the characteristics and complexity of shipbuilding system. As to characteristics, it includes market characteristic, product characteristic and manufacturing characteristic. The complexity of manufacturing system causes the non transparency, uncertainty, increase in costs or drop in efficiency in whole system. The author puts forward methods to reduce and control the system complexity, that is, creation in shipbuilding models, simplification of products and manufacturing process, application of network, reinforcement of production preparation, enterprise of type of learning, comprehensive management, etc., Based on that, this paper gives the concept of center produ ction to solve the problems in shipbuilding system through model creations. Besides. the structure of models and comparison between the new and the conventional models are also the topics of this paper.

Iron Shipbuilding on the Thames, 1832–1915: A Roundtable Response

Abstract: It is difficult not to be aware of the gulf between popular certainties as expressed in the media about the economic effects of particular changes in government policy and the considerable caution with which many historians approach economic and business issues that many might have imagined could have been readily settled a century or so ago. Of course, much of the charm of historical enquiry lies in attempting to recognise the multi-factor nature of economic and business activity, as David Starkey makes clear. Although this complexity makes for considerable difficulty in specifying moderately satisfactory models of causality applicable to particular industrial changes, it also leads to the rich diversity of legitimate approaches that are displayed in the reviews that precede this response. As a business historian with some knowledge of economic and accounting history, I essentially \"backed into\" one or two historical areas of shipping and shipbuilding because they provided particularly interesting arenas to observe how the contractual relationship between the state and the private sector actually functioned. Thus, an early interest in overseas mail contracts quickly led on to work on naval armaments in the years leading up to and during the First World War. At that point, given the importance that had been attached by the Admiralty to firms on the Thames, it was difficult not to be intrigued, if not actively challenged, by the comments of Murphy, Johnman and Ritchie that Thames shipbuilding was \"little better documented than King Arthur!\" I am therefore particularly pleased that Hugh Murphy and Lewis Johnman were members of the panel of distinguished shipping historians who have taken the trouble to review my recent book on iron shipbuilding on the Thames. I am even more pleased, if not relieved, that the various reviewers have approached the book, and the approach it embodies, with such generosity, and I am grateful for their reluctance to point out the undoubted limitations in my technical knowledge of the industry. On the other hand, we are all limited by our range of competences and preconceptions. Further, the main emphases of the book, and the \"intellectual baggage\" I brought to the subject, were signalled by the inclusion of \"economic and business history\" in the title. I have enjoyed reading the comments and have learned a great deal from them, as will the journal's other readers. Many of the points represent a well-argued preference for slightly different perspectives or approaches and need no further comment from me. I would, however, like to comment on a limited number of issues that I found particularly interesting and where there is indeed much scope for further discussion.

A tool to improve efficiency in large scale manufacturing

Abstract: NIST is working directly with industry to improve repair and conversion operations ofships in dry dock. This work allows transfer of technology to construction and other industries requiringworker-access to large, external surfaces with minimum footprint and maximum system rigidity andcontrol, while augmenting conventional suspended-scaffold systems and moving toward moreautonomous large-scale manufacturing applications such as building construction. KEYWORDS: worker access, ship repair, construction, robotics, cable controlled, large-scalemanufacturing 1. INTRODUCTION The Manufacturing Engineering Laboratory ofthe National Institute of Standards andTechnology (NIST) has teamed with AtlanticMarine, Inc. in Mobile, Alabama to studyefficient methods to repair ships in dry dock oralong a pier. This project, called Knowledge-based Modular Repair [1, 2] is under theauspices of the Navy National ShipbuildingResearch Program Advanced ShipbuildingEnterprise Initiative, where worker-, equipment-,and material access to external ship surfaces wasdetermined to be a key focus area. The conceptdeveloped in this project is called the “FlyingCarpet” and combines two main technologies:the NIST RoboCrane [3] and commerciallyavailable suspended scaffolding to produce aneffective concept for worker access to ships,submarines, buildings, and other large objects.The NIST Intelligent Systems Divisiondeveloped the RoboCrane cable-controlledmanipulator over several years [3, 4, 5, 6],during a project for the Defense AdvancedResearch Project Agency (DARPA) that studiedcrane suspended load control. Since the DARPAproject, NIST has expanded RoboCranetechnology into a viable solution to addresslarge-scale manufacturing and many otherchallenges [7]. The RoboCrane applies theStewart-platform parallel-link manipulatortechnology to a reconfigurable, cable-drivensystem. While RoboCrane can lift large, heavyand awkward loads, its stability and

A study on 3-D Digital mockup systems for shipbuilding

Abstract: Simulation-based design and virtual manufacturing based on 3-D digital mockup is an evolving technology that is widely used in mass production industries. The use of this technology facilitates design and production optimization by selecting from several potential design options and production strategies. This paper presents an effective usage of 3-D digital mockup systems for ship hull structures focusing on work strategy planning/evaluation. The newly developed system enables visualization and simulation of process planning for hull blocks, as well as interference checks in assembly stage and evaluation of production stage workability. A converter has also been developed to integrate data from CAD systems into commercial visualization/simulation software. The system has been applied to the production design of actual ships, and several useful lessons have been learned.

The method for purchasing ship using internet

Abstract: PURPOSE: A method for purchasing a ship through the Internet is provided to realize an on-line ship contract by using the Internet. CONSTITUTION: A ship owner(10) accesses to a web server(20) of a ship trading company purchases a ship by selecting the specifications of a desired ship. The web server includes various DBs and displays a three-dimensional ship model. The web server exchanges data with the ship owner via a data transmitting and receiving unit(25). A purchase order request, a purchase order specification, a yard specification, and other information are stored in a contract DB(40). A standard ship, a real ship, and a design library needed for ship building are stored in a ship DB(45). A three-dimensional graphic program unit(35) models a three-dimensional ship by reading ship data from a CAD(Computer Aided Design) library(35a) for merging the data needed for ship building and three-dimensional modeling of a ship and from the ship DB. A web server control unit(30) models a ship corresponding to the specifications presented by the ship owner and displays the model ship.

A new life for shipbuilding in Philadelphia

Abstract: The new Kvaerner Philadelphia Shipyard counts on automated equipment, a young work force, and a European shipbuilding philosophy to bring it success.

Establishing Methodology for Simulation-based Ship Design and Construction Using Virtual Manufacturing Technologies

Abstract: Information technologies centered on the internet in the area of shipbuilding and marine engineering further incur the needs to increase the flexibility of the organization, the dispersion of work process, and the use of out sourcing, as well as the globalization of related market. In near future, electronic commerce and concurrent engineering based on CALS/EC and the Internet will be an integral part of the environment and upon these changes, ship design and construction will become a computer supported cooperative work of many dispersed and specialized groups. As the means of active response to these environmental changes, many new concepts such as digital shipbuilding, virtual shipyard, and simulation based design are appearing. In this paper, the concept and current status of digital manufacturing in general manufacturing industry will be reviewed. Then, related technologies, area of application and methods of digital manufacturing in shipbuilding and marine industries are presented. In addition, virtual assembly simulation system for shipbuilding(VASSS), a tool for crane operability and block erection simulation in virtual dock based on 3D product model, will be introduced.