Application of a multi-level simulation model for aggregate and detailed planning in shipbuilding

摘要

Shipbuilding is one of the most complex manufacturing processes due to the high number and diversity of elements involved throughout the production process. Particularly challenging is the production of singular vessels, such as frigates, where effective planning becomes crucial for delivering the vessel on schedule due to the uniqueness of the product and the lack of historical data of previous equivalent constructions associated to this singularity. In this study, an ongoing simulation-based model that minimizes the uncertainties of the shipbuilding process is presented. Using the Discrete Event Simulation software ExtendSim, three real case studies are presented for the model validation. The objective is to obtain a multi-level model that can be used not only at early stages of the project, when detailed specifications are yet unavailable, but also at later stages, when design is well advanced and extensive data become accessible.