Navantia has made significant progress in its digital transformation process in the shipbuilding industry by incorporating new optimization tools at its shipyard in San Fernando. This measure is part of a broader initiative to modernize its operations, driven by collaboration with the company Alhona, which has developed innovative technology aimed at improving the complex planning of the rings workshop, a crucial phase in ship manufacturing.
Historically, this workshop has been considered a bottleneck in production, facing multiple challenges such as task concurrency, a variety of geometries, and various operational constraints. Under pressure from tight deadlines and spatial limitations, as well as the need to optimize resources, Navantia has sought more efficient solutions.
The technology designed by Alhona combines discrete event simulation with a genetic optimization algorithm, enabling the virtual modeling of the entire production process from the workshop to the slipway. This innovation automatically enhances essential aspects such as the scheduling and assignment of activities, as well as the placement of blocks within the workshop.
Among the expected benefits are improvements in the planning of block input, automation of processes that reduces the risk of human error, and an intuitive interface that facilitates data integration and report generation. The system’s flexibility also allows for the planning of various scenarios tailored to the specific needs of the shipyard, ensuring its replicability in other Navantia production centers.
With these improvements, it is anticipated that efficiency in the rings workshop will be significantly increased, allowing for the anticipation of bottlenecks and a more equitable distribution of the workload. In this way, the company aims to raise its on-time delivery rate and give the rings workshop a proactive role in production planning.
This initiative not only represents a technical advancement but also serves as a strategic filter in decision-making, facilitating the exploration of different scenarios and improving coordination among the various teams involved in shipbuilding. With these developments, Navantia positions itself as a leader in productivity and competitiveness within its sector.
Referrer: MiMub in Spanish
