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Das Kapitel untersucht die Herausforderungen, vor denen die europäische Schiffbauindustrie steht, darunter zunehmender Wettbewerb, wirtschaftliche Unsicherheit und die Nachfrage nach nachhaltigeren Schiffen. Er betont die enorme Menge an Daten, die während des Lebenszyklus von Schiffen erzeugt werden, und das Potenzial, diese Daten effektiver zu nutzen. Das SEUS-Projekt schlägt einen digitalen Thread vor, um die Nutzung und Verwaltung von Daten zu erleichtern, mit dem Ziel, die Qualität zu verbessern, die Designzeit zu reduzieren und den Lebenszyklus komplexer technischer Systeme zu unterstützen. Das Projekt skizziert sieben Herausforderungen zur Verbesserung des gegenwärtigen Status des europäischen Schiffbaus, darunter eine rasche frühzeitige Planung, bessere Kostenschätzungen und die Integration von Werkzeugen in den Schiffbau und die Schiffsproduktion. Die SEUS-Methodik umfasst die Schaffung einer intelligenten Plattform für den Schiffbau, die CAE, CAD, CAM und PDM-Software umfasst. Die Plattform zielt darauf ab, das menschenzentrierte Wissensmanagement zu verbessern, NLP und datengesteuerte KI-Konstruktionselemente zu nutzen und neuartige Verfahren für den Schiffbau zu entwickeln. Zu den erwarteten Auswirkungen des SEUS-Projekts zählen eine zunehmende Digitalisierung, Produktivitätssteigerungen und die Entwicklung eines Wettbewerbsvorteils durch Zeitersparnis. Das Kapitel schließt mit einem Aufruf an die anderen, sich dem intelligenten Ansatz anzuschließen und zusammenzuarbeiten, um die europäische Schiffbauindustrie zu stärken.
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Abstract
Improving the efficiency and competitiveness of European Shipyards is one of the priorities of the HORIZON program, funded by the European Commission. The proper use of computational tools can accelerate this improvement, given that the shipbuilding industry faces a digitalization gap compared to other manufacturing industries. Our proposal is based on the ongoing Smart European Shipyard (SEUS) project, which aims to bridge the digital gap, focusing on integrating available computational tools, and converging into a new platform that enables faster engineering and technical management. This platform intends to provide a holistic approach to product lifecycle management (PLM) for shipbuilding, integrating existing and proven solutions in CAD/CAE with new data-driven technologies to handle shipbuilding knowledge efficiently. The paper presents a link between current challenges and possible ways to tackle them and a summary of the possible impacts this platform can achieve if adequately implemented. The paper closes with a call for peers to contribute to the discussion.
1 European Shipbuilding and the Need for a Digital Thread
The European shipbuilding industry faces many challenges, including increased competition from Asia, economic uncertainty, and a growing demand for more sustainable vessels, Brett and Ulstein (2012). However, despite these obstacles, the industry remains an essential player in the global maritime sector.
A vast and increasing amount of data is generated during the shipbuilding life cycle, Seppälä (2019). There is considerable scope to use this data more effectively across the shipbuilding network value chain, Gaspar (2018). Digitalization and computational tools have great potential to generate value for stakeholders in the form of cyber-physical systems or digital twins, Diaz et al. (2023). It requires a significant reshaping of existing tools and practices to be exploited successfully by the European shipbuilding industry. The gains come in the form of increased quality and reduced time required for design, virtual prototyping, estimations of impacts for the use of greening innovative technologies, modularization, flexible data management, interoperability across proprietary tools, cyber security, efficient support for modern robotized fabrication and openness for integration with operational platforms.
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To achieve these gains, a digital thread needs to be facilitated to enable data use and management to support the life cycle of complex engineering systems effectively, focusing on the shipyard as the core of the value chain as it converges the tasks of design, engineering, construction, and maintenance. By establishing a single source of truth for ship data, the digital thread facilitates data fusion for CAE/CAD/CAM/PDM systems, which can improve the organizing, managing, and contextualizing of shipbuilding data. It has the potential to provide virtual prototypes, enhance consistency and compliance with technical standards, use AI and ML, and NLP technology to assist and evaluate technological innovations, enable iterative learning, and significantly enhance communication and access to data for all stakeholders.
However, much of the productivity gain to be achieved during the early stages of ship design is constrained by the many different CAE/CAD/PLM/PDM/ERP tools and models used to create, combine, and evaluate each of the modules that a ship consists of. Consequently, the design of a modularized and standardized work system (enabling reuse of design models and drawings), or even a new design approach configuration, lacks an effective and agile common evaluation framework that can combine standard (traditional) and customized (innovative) solutions through the ship design, engineering, and fabrication processes. A successful smart framework should consider the detailed balance of these elements, especially regarding effective documentation towards clients and third-party partners, including activities beyond the design/delivery process, such as maintenance and repair, retrofit, operation, and scrapping, Fonseca et al. (2022).
2 Being Smart: Challenges and Opportunities in Digitalization
Typically, ship design, engineering, and fabrication in Europe follow fairly traditional approaches, not keeping the same pace of development observed in the automotive, discrete manufacturing, and aerospace industries. Current shipbuilding approaches are partly fragmented, discontinuous, time-consuming, and laborious. The rationalization of business and work processes (e.g., PLM, PDM, modularization, parameterization, and other data-based techniques) have so far only been tested and implemented successfully in the daily tasks of yards to a limited extent.
Moreover, ship design, class approval, and maintenance include many documents managed over extended life cycles. The digital downstream to operations phase is challenging as 2D, 3D, and simulations contain a vast amount of model elements. A typical vessel model of only one design project may contain up to 2–3 million model elements or parts. The approach is significantly different from a mechanical CAD model, as shipbuilding uses high levels of topological connections between parts to make it possible for fast modifications, such as the rearrangement of equipment and piping or changes to hull structures.
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The SEUS project aims to address these topics, making a step toward a data-assisted method to support early ship design. While each of the pitfalls listed above can significantly slow down or improve the overall process, having a holistic view of shipbuilding is a prerequisite. This view, with suggested room for improvements via process innovation, is illustrated in Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
Potential for lead time reduction in the upstream maritime value chain. Collage produced using Microsoft PowerPoint based on an illustration by Scribey Sense.
In this context, we summarize seven challenges for enhancing the current status of European Shipbuilding:
1.
Facilitate rapid early-stage design to support lower-risk bid development, particularly when integrating innovative new technologies.
2.
Provide better capital cost estimations and performance predictions, particularly showing the improvements expected from the inclusion of new technologies.
3.
Tools to be integrated with ship construction and production and to consider supply chain management and future maintenance and repair of vessels.
4.
Address and quantify the competitiveness gains provided by the tool(s) in the context of the wider European shipbuilding sector.
5.
Ensure that the tool is robust and resilient against cyber threats.
6.
Identify and address the development of the necessary skills needed to achieve the maximum benefit from innovative advanced computational shipbuilding tools.
7.
Develop business cases to quantify the added value from the developed tool to the shipbuilder concerned and within the context of the wider European shipbuilding sector.
3 Being Smart: Challenges and Opportunities in Digitalization
3.1 SEUS Methodology Objectives
The main ambition of the Smart European Shipbuilding project (SEUS) is to tackle the mentioned challenges, by developing a smart platform dedicated to shipbuilding and its downstream and upstream lifecycle phases. This will be achieved by architecting an integrated platform for a combined and open solution incorporating CAE, CAD, CAM, and PDM software and testing it at shipyards. The new platform solution will be built with state-of-the-art European shipbuilding expertise provided by academic and industrial consortium participants. It intends to develop novel practices for human-centric knowledge management in shipbuilding, the use of NLP, and data-driven AI design elements in the current consensus or intelligent technologies and Industry 5.0, EU (2021).
The SEUS project will develop, implement, test, and qualify software solutions with an Industry 5.0 mindset for the European shipbuilding market. We have set up seven objectives towards a stepwise progress over 4 years:
1.
Create workflow activity map and use cases applying smart technology and Industry 5.0 concept, specific to European shipbuilding
2.
Enhance the human-centric competitiveness of shipbuilding and reflect diverse values of stakeholders, including shipyard workers, ship-owners, operators, users/passengers, and shipbuilders in general
3.
Build a shipbuilding-specific PLM platform comprising defined data models and the selected elements of CAE/CAD/CAM and PDM solutions
4.
Develop a flexible platform that supports multiple instances of workflows to facilitate rapid early designs, and is fit to support AI tools and virtual prototyping
5.
Ensure openness and interoperability of the platform while keeping it cyber secure
6.
Test and implement in an industrial environment – developing the concept of the digital shipyard.
7.
Quantify added value gains provided by the developed platform, creating a business model of exploitation, and dissemination of project results
The SEUS project's platform connects high-end solutions in shipbuilding, integrating data handling across life stages and disciplines. It challenges the traditional CAD-centric and PDM-centric approaches, which rely heavily on CAD models for production data and data management, by emphasizing expertise in shipbuilding scenarios and effective project management. Fundamental to the SEUS approach is that the current toolbox for shipbuilding can be more efficient if properly integrated into a human-centered environment, including Industry 5.0 aspects. The SEUS methodology is focused on developing a smart platform for CAD/CAE/CAM in shipbuilding based on the industrial and academic experience of its consortium members.
The SEUS approach revolves around the fulfillment of the seven mentioned objectives. It consists of four main steps, represented in Fig. 2, namely: Shipbuilding Best Practices; Smart Shipbuilding PLM Platform; Shipyard Implementation; Business and Innovation.
The SEUS approach starts by evaluating the current European shipbuilding landscape, focusing on the potential to integrate digital tools and smart technologies. A human-centered approach aligned with Industry 5.0 principles will be explored, balancing cyber-physical systems and societal needs. This study will produce best practices to inform the development of a smart platform.
The second phase centers on creating a smart PLM platform that incorporates CAD/CAM/CAE elements tailored to shipbuilding. Existing tools will be enhanced, and digital support implemented for various use cases, focusing on computational tools needed in shipbuilding.
The SEUS Smart CAD + PLM platform includes CAE modules for early design, CAD/CAM tools for 3D and production design, and PDM/PLM modules for lifecycle and data management. It supports shipbuilding expertise, AI integration, and advanced cybersecurity measures. The platform aims for seamless data flow and standardization across shipyards.
Cybersecurity workshops will be held to address risks, while efforts to standardize domain knowledge will accelerate early design tasks. Integration between PLM elements and CAD/CAE applications will ensure data synchronization, visualization, and workflow management for design and production tasks.
3.2 Expected Impacts
The impact of SEUS is based on primarily increasing the level of digitalization in European Shipyards, facilitating the transformation of this industry towards competitiveness with a human-centric mindset. A compilation of seven key impacts is presented in as follows.
1.
Computational Platform for PLM in Shipbuilding: The development of a PLM-specific platform for shipbuilding will enhance the current computational tools available in Europe and worldwide. Similar to the advancements made by CAD/CAM tools three decades ago, this platform will improve digitalization through interoperability, a standardized data model, and process management tools. It aims to enhance competitiveness by shortening lead times and allowing for adaptability in design and production, ultimately reducing lifetime maintenance costs.
2.
Facilitating Digital Transformation: Elevating digitalization within the shipbuilding industry will significantly enhance productivity, collaboration, flexibility, and innovation. By integrating knowledge in management and circular production, the sector can achieve resource-efficient designs and improve virtual prototyping processes, fostering a human-centric approach and upskilling shipbuilders.
3.
Traceability and Early Design Integration: The EU's decarbonization targets necessitate the integration of innovative technologies in early design stages to assess alternative impacts. This platform will facilitate experimentation with hull designs and propulsion technologies while linking historical and detailed design data, ensuring traceability and simplifying workflows for naval architects, engineers, and shipyards.
4.
Competitive Advantage through Time Savings: Communication challenges often hinder shipbuilding projects, Agis (2020). The SEUS platform will enhance information transfer by minimizing manual data entry and providing dynamic access to relevant information. This will streamline communication between designers and builders while involving third parties, ultimately reducing the time spent searching for information and improving design-to-production transitions.
5.
Shipyard Engagement with Vessel Life Cycles: The SEUS platform will strengthen the connection between shipyards and the operational life of vessels, enabling insights from historical data and enhancing post-delivery service offerings. This collaboration will benefit both shipyards and operators, providing accurate engineering models and promoting the digital twin approach.
6.
Human-Centric Knowledge Management: A customizable shipbuilding activity modeling framework will integrate expertise and data throughout the shipbuilding life cycle, fostering collaboration and skill development. This framework will enhance workforce productivity and sustainable knowledge practices while promoting integrated training programs for various stakeholders.
7.
Development of EU Workforce Skills: European shipbuilders have historically been leaders in innovation. This platform will serve as a comprehensive resource for all project participants, tailored to user needs, promoting creativity and digital skills, thus maintaining the EU's leadership in shipbuilding technology.
4 Concluding Remarks: A Call from Peers to Join the Smart Approach
SEUS boasts a strong consortium comprised of academics, software developers, and shipbuilding partners from five European countries. This balanced partnership is dedicated to bridging knowledge gaps and facilitating the uptake of key results. The partners bring valuable experience in customer implementation, dissemination, and communication, both nationally and internationally, which will be crucial for achieving the proposed objectives. The consortium is committed to sharing SEUS’s approaches and outcomes while targeting specific groups to meet development, dissemination, and exploitation goals.
Peer and stakeholder engagement is essential to SEUS’s communication strategy. The consortium aims to share project findings with a wide audience and encourages external collaboration to support European shipbuilding. Joint efforts can enhance industry interests.
We invite peers to engage with the consortium by developing and sharing their insights on smart concepts such as Industry 5.0, digital threads, and PDM/PLM integration. In the medium term, we seek evaluations of the advantages and disadvantages of their approaches in comparison to ours, aiming to find beneficial combinations for European partners. The project also aims to develop an open standard for connecting commercial tools, facilitating broader interactions.
Acknowledgments
An earlier version of this article has been presented at the 22nd Conference on Computer and IT Applications in the Maritime Industries (COMPIT’23), Drübeck, 2023. The SEUS project has received funding from the Horizon Europe Framework Programme (HORIZON) under grant agreement No 101096224. Info is updated at http://seus-project.eu/.
This article reflects only the authors’ views, and the European Commission is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains.
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