Course content

The course gives a general description of engineer-to-order manufacturing operations from an industrial engineering perspective. Focus is on the maritime industry, including the building of ships and other marine structures, such as oil platforms and fish farms, as well as maritime equipment such as thrusters, cranes, and winches.

The entire process will be covered, including project development, design, contracting, engineering, procurement, production, commissioning, delivery, after-sales services, and end-of-life treatment. A Norwegian perspective is taken, with characteristics such as high cost levels, flat hierarchical structures with skilled, autonomous workers, and one-of-a-kind production of highly technologically advanced, innovative, and customized solutions.

Learning outcome

Knowledge:

After completed course the students should have the general knowledge most in the maritime industry should have about building of ships, platforms, and other maritime equipment, focusing on factors that increase the competitive position for the building of engineer-to-order products in Norway or countries with similar characteristics. They should acquire knowledge of the basics as well as more recent concepts and perspectives.

The basics include:

• Structure and size of the various industry branches within engineer-to-order
• How build projects are developed to a contract and contractual specification
• The main content in the different supporting processes like sales, design, engineering, procurement and material logistics, as well as their dependencies
• The importance of the supporting processes to achieve efficient production
• How design and technical solutions influence the total costs (e.g. purchase and production), The most important cost drivers from design, both for outfitting and hull building
• The main stages in the physical production of a ship, including an overview over relevant ship production technologies
• Build methods, early and efficient outfitting, zone-orientation and measures to increase productivity in shipbuilding

More recent concepts and perspectives include:

• Customer order decoupling points, standardization and modularization in engineer-to-order manufacturing operations
• Planning and control, including lean manufacturing, in engineer-to-order manufacturing operations;
• Automation, information technology, digitalization, and industry 4.0/5.0 in engineer-to-order manufacturing operations
• Supply chain management and coordination in engineer-to-order manufacturing operations; supply chain design and operations to mitigate uncertainty
• Offshoring, outsourcing, and supplier relationships in engineer-to-order manufacturing operations
• A business and market perspective on the maritime industry and shipbuilding
• Servitization and after-sales services, including ship breaking

Skills:

• Ability to apply acquired knowledge to the development of holistic solutions for engineer-to-order manufacturing operations
• Ability to transform theories to practical application based on well-founded choices of relevant alternative solutions.
• Ability to manage the production and supply chain of customized products
• Perform and document a scientific study of industrial problems.

General competence (attitudes):

• Understand the relationships between product, market, production, supply chain, and performance in the context of customized, engineer-to-order manufacturing
• Understand the importance logistics and supply chain management has on the competitiveness of shipbuilders and other types of engineer-to-order manufacturers
• Take an industrial engineering perspective on the design and improvement of engineer-to-order manufacturing operations
• Cooperate and contribute to multidisciplinary interaction.
• Communicate technical logistic problems and solutions

Learning methods and activities

Lectures, including guest lectures from industry, excursion to world-leading shipbuilding companies and manufacturers of maritime equipment, semester assignment.

Compulsory assignments

• Compulsory semester assignment

Recommended previous knowledge

None

Required previous knowledge

None

Course materials

Compendium "Shipbuilding" (Hagen&Erikstad, 2014), selected articles and book chapters, lecture slides.

Credit reductions