LEAN TOOLS APPLIED TO A SHIPBUILDING PANEL LINE ASSEMBLING PROCESS

• Main Authors: André Oliveira, José Manuel Gordo
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Faculty of Mechanical Engineering and Naval Architecture 2018-01-01
• Series: Brodogradnja
• Online Access: http://hrcak.srce.hr/file/305181

To improve the shipbuilding process and obtain a more cost-effective production, several approaches are used today. The state of the art approach is based on newer production technologies, mainly steel cutting and welding technologies, which allows to improve the quality of the products and reduce the production time. Other approach, not so applied, is based on the re-organization some shipbuilding stages, applying some production improvement tools, like the Lean approach. The panel assembly line stage of the shipbuilding process is a key phase of the production sequence due to its relation with the remaining shipbuilding stages, essentially framed in the ship’s block construction sequence, and its characteristics make it an accessible shipbuilding stage to apply the Lean approach tools. The Lean tools can be applied with a wide range of minuteness and on variable settings. The present paper analyses a rather simple modification on the panel line assembling process sequence, achieved through the application of some key concepts of the Lean approach. For the verification of the times and costs benefits due to the application of the proposed modification, a graphic interface tool was developed, allowing to analyse the costs and times results of the panel line production process.