Synchronizing the Shipbuilding Supply Chain with Generic Cumulative Production Figures

This chapter delves into the intricate world of shipbuilding supply chains, highlighting the challenges posed by high variability, complexity, and the engineer-to-order (ETO) production principle. It explores the limitations of conventional lean production concepts, such as Kanban and Just-In-Sequence (JIS), in this context. The main focus is on the adaptation of Cumulative Production Figures (CPFs) to create a generic, product-independent planning and control tool tailored to shipbuilding. The text introduces a concept that divides the supply chain into control blocks and uses generic CPFs to align planning and control with the actual assembly progress in the shipyard. It also integrates indirect production processes like design and work preparation into the planning framework. The chapter provides a detailed example of pipe installation in a shipyard, illustrating how the concept can support Just-In-Sequence material supply and reduce operational wastes. The conclusion emphasizes the potential of the concept to increase the frequency of information exchange, reduce throughput times, and improve overall productivity in shipbuilding supply chains.