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.

Keywords:

• digital manufacturing
• discrete-event simulation
• simulated annealing
• production scheduling
• production execution system
• panel assembly shop
• shipbuilding

Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Korea Institute of Industrial Technology Evaluation and Planning (ITEP) grant funded by the Korean government (MKE) (No. 10011475-2008-23) and also by the Korea Science and Engineering Foundation (KOSEF) grant funded by the Korean government (MEST) (No. R17-2007-072-01000-0). Also, the authors would like to express their gratitude to Samsung Heavy Industry Co. for providing their yard information.