Search Results (12)

Industry 5.0 is composed of a variety of complex tasks and challenging processes requiring specialized labor and multidisciplinary coordination. Specifically, when it comes to shipbuilding, shipyards leverage advanced technologies, seeking to replace operations that continue to rely on traditional methods, such as 2D blueprints and paper-based documentation, which can lead to inefficiencies and alignment errors in precision-dependent tasks. For this reason, this article focuses on embracing Mixed Reality (MR) technologies to address these challenges in the context of electrical outfitting tasks. The design, development and evaluation of a MR application tailored for HoloLens 2 smart glasses aims to streamline the workflow for operators, reducing reliance on paper-based documentation and enhancing the precision of assembly processes. The proposed system allows for the precise positioning of 3D models in the real environment, ensuring accurate alignment during assembly. Additionally, it incorporates automatic dimension generation between objects in the scene. To further enhance usability, the application integrates a Galician on-device Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) system, allowing operators to interact seamlessly with the MR interface using voice commands. The whole system has been exhaustively tested, both through usability and functionality evaluations, which validate MR as a viable tool for shipyard assembly and inspection tasks. Full article

Industry 5.0 represents the next stage in the industrial evolution, with a growing impact in the shipbuilding sector. In response to its challenges, Navantia, a leading international player in the field, is transforming its shipyards towards the creation of a Shipyard 5.0 through the implementation of digital technologies that enable human-centered, resilient and sustainable processes. This approach gives rise to Cognitive Cyber-Physical Systems (CCPS) in which the system can learn and where the generated data are integrated into a digital platform that supports operators in decision-making. In this scenario, different smart elements (e.g., IoT-based tows, trucks) are used to transport key components of a ship like pipes or steel plates, which are present in a large number, representing a strategic opportunity to enhance traceability in shipbuilding operations. The accurate tracking of these elements, from manufacturing to assembly, helps to improve operational efficiency and enhances safety within the shipyard environment. Considering the previous context, this paper describes a CCPS that enables tracking and real-time data visualization through portable interfaces adapted to the shipyard operator needs. Following the Industry 5.0 foundations, the presented solution is focused in providing human-centric interfaces, tackling issues like information overload, poor visual organization and accessibility of the control panels. Thus, to address such issues, an iterative human-centered redesign process was performed. This approach incorporated hands-on testing with operators at each development stage and implemented specific adjustments to improve interface clarity and reaction speed. Full article

Since the beginning of the last decade, digital technological achievements have ushered the economies of developed countries into the fourth industrial revolution, transforming industries into smart ones, referred to as “Industry 4.0”, enabling them to innovate as a prerequisite for sustainable development and economic growth. At the same time, the European Union’s institutions are adopting strategies and programs to transform the European industry into a climate-neutral one, aiming to achieve this by 2050. The authors, participating in the introduction of Lean tools and digital technologies into one of the European shipyards using the “CULIS” (Connect Universal Lean Improvement System) methodology, recognize the high potential of its contribution to the European Commission’s guidelines for transitioning the economy to a sustainable one, and for this purpose, they present it in this paper. Namely, the methodology in question not only theoretically results in a “quick” implementation of tools and doctrines—with an approximately 36-month total duration of the process—but also encompasses as many as three transformations: Lean, digital, and green; an analysis of a methodology with such characteristics significantly adds to the originality of this study. The current stage of the observed shipyard’s “triple” transformation process already results in significant improvements—e.g., an increase in productivity by around 21% or a reduction in sales process costs by 38%. However, given its ongoing pilot phase, (further) analyses of improvements in (European) shipbuilding competitiveness and profitability that can be achieved through digital Lean management of projects’ realization process are implied. Full article

The share of European shipbuilding in the world market, with the constant exception of the cruise ship niche, has been in continuous decline for decades, while at the same time, state-supported Asian competitors are recording accelerated growth. With the already long-standing ban on subsidizing the shipbuilding industry by EU member states, its shipyards can maintain their market position primarily by continuously improving business processes, including adopting Industry 4.0 doctrines. In order to contribute to the European shipyards’ competitiveness growth, the authors of this paper use the case study methodology to investigate the applicability of blockchain technology in the process of financing the construction and purchase of ships according to a bareboat charter model, which is recognized as risk-balanced for all parties involved in the process. The empirically analyzed implementation of the blockchain application of smart contracts, using the example of three ships built and purchased according to the proposed model, theoretically results in an almost one-year shortening of the financing process, with a significant reduction in the costs of legal activities. The originality of this study is also emphasized by the correlation of smart contracts and the process of early ship outfitting in the sense of the possible improvement in its level, thus achieving savings in working hours and energy and ultimately shortening the process of realizing the shipbuilding project. Full article

The European shipbuilding industry is primarily active in the niches of building vessels with high added value characterized by individual demand or eventual orders in smaller series—the authors approach this research motivated by the desire to contribute to maintaining its competitiveness on the world market. To enhance business processes, shipyards have at their disposal, among others, digital technologies and Lean tools. However, the production of highly complex products in a business environment with complex inter-process relations among a large number of stakeholders also implies a highly demanding project of Lean methodology implementation. And according to the literature gap and available archival data, the outcome is very uncertain. Therefore, the authors conduct this research for the purpose of overcoming the risk of failure in completing the Lean implementation process with the aim of contributing to the transformation of the shipbuilding system into a smart and sustainable, or climate-neutral, one. As experts in the field of research and based on interviews with representatives of one of the European shipyards, the authors develop a Lean process management implementation model adapted not only to custom production in shipbuilding but also to other industries with similar characteristics. The model theoretically results not only in the successful closure of the Lean transformation process in an optimal time and at low costs but also in the simultaneous continuous improvement of shipbuilding processes during the implementation period. Moreover, the neutral influence of the business system’s organizational structure on the presented model adds originality to this study. Full article

Security presents significant challenges due to the exponential growth in the number of Internet of Things (IoT) devices that generate and collect data over the network. It is crucial to ensure the integrity and security of IoT devices, as well as to address issues such as interoperability and trust in data sources. In the proposed article, we present a novel architecture together with its implementation as a proof-of-concept of a traceability and auditing IoT system based on Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT). To demonstrate the applicability of the proposed solution, a smart contract-based system for occupational risk prevention (ORP) has been developed to monitor oxygen concentration in confined spaces that exist in ships and shipyards. The system has been devised for the operators that weld inside the ships of the Spanish shipbuilding company Navantia, which is one of the largest shipbuilders in the world. Specifically, the IOTA network has been used, which benefits the system through its decentralized, secure, and scalable data structure. In addition, the integration of smart contracts allows for establishing predefined rules and conditions, ensuring the execution of logic in a reliable and automated manner. To demonstrate the viability of the system, it has been tested locally and in the IOTA testing environment. Despite the challenges in deploying smart contracts with IOTA, the developed system is considered useful for the traceability and auditing of the oxygen concentrations without the need for any human intervention. Furthermore, it establishes the groundwork for future advancements in IoT traceability and auditing in industrial ORP scenarios. Full article

Three-dimensional modelling software tools enable the creation of a digital replica of the product—“Digital Twin”—a representative of “Virtual Reality” as one of the prominent trends of Industry 4.0. The development of the Digital Twin can start simultaneously with the development of the product, primarily for the purpose of selecting optimal technical and technological solutions prior to and during physical construction, and, ultimately, with the intention of managing the entire product life cycle. The Digital Twin, as one of the key technological achievements in the implementation of the business system transformation from traditional to smart, should also be recognized as the cornerstone of the “Shipyard 4.0” model, i.e., its “Cyber-Physical Space.” This paper is based on statistical and empirical data of the observed shipyard with the aim to represent the significance of the Digital Twin ship in preserving and improving the competitiveness of the shipbuilding industry. Namely, with the emphasis this article places on the contribution of “advanced outfitting” in achieving savings in the shipbuilding process as well as its role in attaining high standards of environmental protection and workplace safety, the importance of its further improvement is an obvious conclusion—with Digital Twin being one of the recognized tools for this purpose. Full article

The shipbuilding industry has recently had to address several problems, such as improving productivity and overcoming the limitations of existing worker-dependent defect-inspection systems for painting on large steel plates while meeting the demands for information and smart-factory systems for quality management. The target shipyard previously used human visual inspection and there was no system to manage defect frequency, type, or history. This is challenging because these defects can have different sizes, shapes, and locations. In addition, the shipyard environment is variable and limits the options for camera placements. To solve these problems, we developed a new Vision AI deep-learning system for detecting painting defects in an actual shipyard production line and conducted experiments to optimize and evaluate the performance. We then configured and installed the Vision AI system to control the actual shipyard production line through a programmable logic controller interface. The installed system analyzes images in real-time and is expected to improve productivity by 11% and reduce quality incidents by 2%. This is the first practical application of AI operating in conjunction with the control unit of the actual shipyard production line. The lessons learned here can be applied to other industrial systems. Full article

The fourth industrial revolution (“Industry 4.0”) has caused an escalating need for smart technologies in manufacturing industries. Companies are examining various cutting-edge technologies to realize smart manufacturing and construct smart factories and are devoting efforts to improve their maturity level. However, productivity improvement is rarely achieved because of the large variety of new technologies and their wide range of applications; thus, elaborately setting improvement goals and plans are seldom accomplished. Fortunately, many researchers have presented guidelines for diagnosing the smartness maturity level and systematic directions to improve it, for the eventual improvement of productivity. However, most research has focused on mass production industries wherein the overall smartness maturity level is already high (e.g., high-level automation). These studies thus have limited applicability to the shipbuilding industry, which is basically a built-to-order industry. In this study, through a technical demand survey of the shipbuilding industry and an investigation of existing smart manufacturing and smart factories, the keywords of connectivity, automation, and intelligence were derived and based on these keywords, we developed a new diagnostic framework for smart shipyard maturity level assessment. The framework was applied to eight shipyards in South Korea to diagnose their smartness maturity level, and a data envelopment analysis (DEA) was performed to confirm the usefulness of the diagnosis results. By comparing the DEA models, the results with the smart level as an input represents the actual efficiency of shipyards better than the results of conventional models. Full article

Industrial Augmented Reality (IAR) is one of the key technologies pointed out by the Industry 4.0 paradigm as a tool for improving industrial processes and for maximizing worker efficiency. Training and assistance are two of the most popular IAR-enabled applications, since they may significantly facilitate, support, and optimize production and assembly tasks in industrial environments. This article presents an IAR collaborative application developed jointly by Navantia, one of the biggest European shipbuilders, and the University of A Coruña (Spain). The analysis, design, and implementation of such an IAR application are described thoroughly so as to enable future developers to create similar IAR applications. The IAR application is based on the Microsoft HoloLens smart glasses and is able to assist and to guide shipyard operators during their training and in assembly tasks. The proposed IAR application embeds a novel collaborative protocol that allows operators to visualize and interact in a synchronized way with the same virtual content. Thus, all operators that share an IAR experience see each virtual object positioned at the same physical spot and in the same state. The collaborative application is first evaluated and optimized in terms of packet communications delay and anchor transmission latency, and then, its validation in a shipyard workshop by Navantia’s operators is presented. The performance results show fast response times for regular packets (less than 5 ms), low interference rates in the 5 GHz band, and an anchor transmission latency of up to 30 s. Regarding the validation tests, they allow for obtaining useful insights and feedback from the industrial operators, as well as clear guidelines that will help future developers to face the challenges that will arise when creating the next generation of IAR applications. Full article

Progress control is a key technology for successfully carrying out a project by predicting possible problems, particularly production delays, and establishing measures to avoid them (decision-making). However, shipyard progress management is still dependent on the empirical judgment of the manager, and this has led to delays in delivery, which raises ship production costs. Therefore, this paper proposes a methodology for shipyard ship block assembly plants that enables objective process progress measurement based on real-time work performance data, rather than the empirical judgment of a site manager. In particular, an IoT-based physical progress measurement method that can automatically measure work performance without human intervention is presented for the mounting and welding activities of ship block assembly work. Both an augmented reality (AR) marker-based image analysis system and a welding machine time-series data-based machine learning model are presented for measuring the performances of the mounting and welding activities. In addition, the physical progress measurement method proposed in this study was applied to the ship block assembly plant of shipyard H to verify its validity. Full article

As a result of the progressive implantation of the Industry 4.0 paradigm, many industries are experimenting a revolution that shipyards cannot ignore. Therefore, the application of the principles of Industry 4.0 to shipyards are leading to the creation of Shipyards 4.0. Due to this, Navantia, one of the 10 largest shipbuilders in the world, is updating its whole inner workings to keep up with the near-future challenges that a Shipyard 4.0 will have to face. Such challenges can be divided into three groups: the vertical integration of production systems, the horizontal integration of a new generation of value creation networks, and the re-engineering of the entire production chain, making changes that affect the entire life cycle of each piece of a ship. Pipes, which exist in a huge number and varied typology on a ship, are one of the key pieces, and its monitoring constitutes a prospective cyber-physical system. Their improved identification, traceability, and indoor location, from production and through their life, can enhance shipyard productivity and safety. In order to perform such tasks, this article first conducts a thorough analysis of the shipyard environment. From this analysis, the essential hardware and software technical requirements are determined. Next, the concept of smart pipe is presented and defined as an object able to transmit signals periodically that allows for providing enhanced services in a shipyard. In order to build a smart pipe system, different technologies are selected and evaluated, concluding that passive and active RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) are currently the most appropriate technologies to create it. Furthermore, some promising indoor positioning results obtained in a pipe workshop are presented, showing that multi-antenna algorithms and Kalman filtering can help to stabilize Received Signal Strength (RSS) and improve the overall accuracy of the system. Full article