SHIPBUILDING PRODUCTION PROCESS DESIGN EVALUATION BY SIMULATION MODELLING

Abstract

Any improvement from an existing fabrication technology level to a higher one is a task performed upon different assumptions and within known limitations. The solution should be the result of the interaction of complex elements derived from the decision making process. The authors have previously suggested a new approach for the definition and verification of new production line parameters based on the production process throughput as one of the critical assumptions for defining continuous workflow in the production process. Throughput is a group unit based technical production measure for expressing processing time of a particularly complex production group along the analyzed line. In this paper, for testing and evaluation of such an approach, simulation modelling has been applied. Furthermore, the proposed approach was confirmed as more suitable for defining new technologies and optimal production line layout, compared to the conventional approach, which is based on production capacity as an average category, and on many uncertain assumptions. Furthermore, the authors emphasize that the proposed approach also enables lower risk in terms of financial investments and a higher quality solution for the shipyard.