Development of simulation-based production execution system in a shipyard: a case study for a panel block assembly shop

Abstract

The management of a panel block shop in a shipyard is a complex process that entails the largest amount of work and in which many decisions are involved. Shipbuilders have considered the process as a bottleneck since every panel for every ship must be processed through the shop. The objective of this research is to carry out a materials flow analysis to maximise process productivity and to place simulation optimisation technology in the hands of decision makers, such as production planners and supervisors. In this article, a production execution planning system is proposed for panel block operations utilising discrete-event simulation and simulated annealing. The simulation model was validated using a real production scenario and the comparison showed a very favourable agreement between the actual panel shop and the simulation model. The proposed system supports production planners by general dispatching rules and optimisation to make better scheduling decisions on the shop floor. The system will provide a complete schedule that is at least as clear and accurate as any schedule currently obtained.

Simulation Research of Double-shell Flat Block Assembly Line on the Basis of Double-flat Floor Pull-in Method

“…This will lead to panels before this station blocked in the front stations even the job has already done on this station and no panel can go to the longitudinal frame welding station for further processing. The situation is caused by inappropriate station setups, to solve this problem we need to adjust the stations [6] rather than other ways such as personal scheduling. After multiple times of tests we found that adding buffer station in appropriate place can lower blocking percentage of those two stations effectively [7] .…”

Ship Block Logistics Simulation Based on Discrete Event Simulation

“…Shin et al (2004) performed the production process modeling of the subassembly lines using the DES Method [4]. Lee et al (2009) proposed a production execution planning system for panel block operations utilizing DES and simulated annealing [5]. They also suggested a systematic approach.…”

Simulation-Based Work Plan Verification in Shipyards

“…They built a simulation model of a process-centric shipyard production environment and defined it as a virtual shipyard through which they tried to realize virtual manufacturing. Shin et al (2004) and Lee et al (2009) built simulation models of the complex processes of a large shipyard using a simulation tool based on DES. They suggested a systematic approach involving the division of a shipyard system into products, processes, resources, and scheduling.…”