Towards a Concept for Digitalized Yard Logistics—Outlining the Next-Generation Features

Yards are industrial sites for production and servicing of ships and offshore maritime installations, such as oil and gas platforms and modules, offshore windmills, and fish farms—all essential products in the maritime industry. Although many yards are performing highly complex and technically advanced production, there is still a need to bring the internal logistics of yards to a corresponding level of advancement. Industry 4.0 technologies may answer this need, and this paper presents a concept for digitalized yard logistics. The concept is developed through a concept development activity inspired by design science research, based on a multiple case study of 8 Norwegian yards, including shipyards and offshore construction yards. By mapping these yards, in particular their current level of digitalization, we propose a concept grounded in practice. The concept is built upon four main features of digitalized yard logistics: i) seamless, digitalized information flow, ii) identification and interconnectivity of objects, iii) digitalized operator support, and iv) automated and autonomous material flow. The paper describes and visualize how currently available digital technologies can be applied in the yard logistics context, to achieve those four main features. The concept may be used as inspiration for moving towards the next generation of yard logistics. The paper also addresses qualitatively the potential effects of digitalized yard logistics on yard logistics performance. In this way, the paper may serve as a starting point for more advanced and specific developments, as well as possible realizations, of digitalized yard logistics systems

Laser Scanning Application for the Enhancement of Quality Assessment in Shipbuilding Industry

The need for a shipyard to improve the quality of its final products is crucial to be competitive in the shipbuilding market. In particular, in the latest years the attention has moved to reducing the presence and occurrence of dimensional non-conformities throughout the entire construction process, in order to facilitate and speed up subsequent phases and ship blocks assembly. This necessity has led shipyards management to evaluate the introduction of dimensional detection systems for the manufactured articles. As an innovative solution, laser scanning technologies have been already tested in extensive ways at industrial level and have recently found application in the shipbuilding sector. Specifically, among the various available technologies, laser scanner systems and laser trackers proved to be the most suitable ones for the targeted purposes. Within the paper, the authors firstly describe the evolution of shipbuilding process and highlight its peculiarities. Then, they focuse on the quality assessment process with a specific reference to both dimensional controls and laser scanning technologies that may support such operation. The application of the latest-generation tools is validated through the presentation and discussion of a real case study related to a ship block. Finally, the authors present the potential future developments and integration of laser scanning technologies within Industry 4.0 framework

Designing efficient and contemporary ship recycling yards through discrete event simulation

Ship recycling, similar to any other recycling industry, can be considered as the most environmentally friendly option for end-of-life ships than the other alternatives. However, lack of safety, lack of environmental awareness as well as lack of a global and local regulatory framework resulted in ships being dismantled in undesirable conditions which forced international regulators to focus on developing international regulations and standards.;The International Maritime Organization's (IMO) Hong Kong Convention and the European Union's Ship Recycling Regulation are examples of the aforementioned new regulations. Both regulations require ship recycling yards to improve existing HSE standards to stay compliant. These HSE measures will negatively impact on running costs, therefore, ship recycling yards will need to increase their production efficiency to remain competitive.;Even though the industry requires support during this transition, there is no study within the current body of literature that focuses on increasing the productivity of the ship recycling facilities. Hence, there is a need to develop a framework to design contemporary and efficient ship recycling yards. Increasing production efficiency in ship recycling yards will not only decrease the costs, but it will also increase the throughput of the yards which will generate more income and positively impact on overall profitability.;Therefore, this PhD study addresses this gap through the development of a simulation framework for ship recycling industry to design and optimise the ship recycling yards. The study adopts a case-based approach where numerous design alternatives will be studied through the proposed framework. The main aim of this study is to increase the productivity of ship recycling yards and optimise their procedures towards achieving cost-efficient facilities.;Overall research conducted in this study will be significant contribution to the maritime literature as a novel framework for ship recycling yard design and optimisation is developed. The process models of this framework are developed based on real ship recycling procedures, therefore, the framework can be considered ready for practical implementation.Ship recycling, similar to any other recycling industry, can be considered as the most environmentally friendly option for end-of-life ships than the other alternatives. However, lack of safety, lack of environmental awareness as well as lack of a global and local regulatory framework resulted in ships being dismantled in undesirable conditions which forced international regulators to focus on developing international regulations and standards.;The International Maritime Organization's (IMO) Hong Kong Convention and the European Union's Ship Recycling Regulation are examples of the aforementioned new regulations. Both regulations require ship recycling yards to improve existing HSE standards to stay compliant. These HSE measures will negatively impact on running costs, therefore, ship recycling yards will need to increase their production efficiency to remain competitive.;Even though the industry requires support during this transition, there is no study within the current body of literature that focuses on increasing the productivity of the ship recycling facilities. Hence, there is a need to develop a framework to design contemporary and efficient ship recycling yards. Increasing production efficiency in ship recycling yards will not only decrease the costs, but it will also increase the throughput of the yards which will generate more income and positively impact on overall profitability.;Therefore, this PhD study addresses this gap through the development of a simulation framework for ship recycling industry to design and optimise the ship recycling yards. The study adopts a case-based approach where numerous design alternatives will be studied through the proposed framework. The main aim of this study is to increase the productivity of ship recycling yards and optimise their procedures towards achieving cost-efficient facilities.;Overall research conducted in this study will be significant contribution to the maritime literature as a novel framework for ship recycling yard design and optimisation is developed. The process models of this framework are developed based on real ship recycling procedures, therefore, the framework can be considered ready for practical implementation