A major transformation is underway in the marine sector, as fleet operators need to develop more energy-efficient, reliable and environmentally friendly ships with better overall performance and lower total operating costs. In order for shipbuilders to meet this demand and these challenges before the window of opportunity closes, they will have to design and build ships faster and better than ever before. This will require a completely different approach to ship design and construction. Future Fleet is the Siemens PLM Software perspective on how leading shipbuilders are designing and building ships to meet the expected increase in demand from owners looking to rapidly modernize their fleets.

The Siemens Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) for Shipbuilding solution enables a holistic approach to optimizing shipbuilding. PLM for Shipbuilding improves total enterprise collaboration, synchronization and productivity, as well as lifecycle ship service and support, by optimizing shipbuilding processes.

Shipbuilding Program and Product Management
Leading shipbuilders around the world have established new program launch records with PLM for Shipbuilding by utilizing ship design software with embedded templates that accelerates ship delivery, boosts team productivity and facilitates the use of proven best practices that mitigate potential risks and eliminate program delays. In addition, with configuration management, shipyards can seamlessly track the configuration of a class of ships or an individual hull number from concept development through production and across the ship’s entire operating lifecycle.

Ship Design and Engineering
From a scalability standpoint, shipbuilding possesses some of the most daunting design and engineering challenges. PLM for Shipbuilding takes advantage of the latest design technology to accelerate development of modern ships and offshore platforms, driving shipbuilding innovation and facilitating global collaboration. Using ship design and engineering software, designers and engineers can create and maintain 3D models in context of key workgroups, such as major ship modules, compartments, systems and locations.

A unique combination of 1D and 3D simulation software, mobile- and lab-testing systems and engineering services help answer functional performance engineering challenges of shipbuilders and their suppliers.

Similar to the aerospace and automotive industries, composites are replacing other materials in shipbuilding, providing shipbuilders with advantages in weight reduction, improved stability and lower maintenance. The PLM for Shipbuilding solution offers a complete composites package to design, engineer and produce composite structures and components, from mega-yachts and propellers to sonar domes. The PLM for Shipbuilding composite suite has enabled shipyards to successfully construct hulls from 80-meter plies, which is a positive indicator for expanded use of composites in the marine industry in the future.

Digital Ship Construction
To limit the cost of development and production as well as mitigate related risks, shipyards need to optimize their facilities and processes across an entire lifecycle by deploying shipyard production software. By digitally simulating complete ship assemblies and their associated processes, you can optimize process flows across the shipyard before production begins, implement lean practices at the start of new programs and avoid the cost of building expensive physical models.

Supply Chain Management
Shipyards rely on a global supply chain of partners and suppliers to help design, develop, manufacture and test new ship concepts. Using the ISO-approved JT data format, which supports multi-CAD design content and flexible round-trip supplier data exchange, PLM for Shipbuilding allows shipbuilders to exchange data reliably and flexibly with suppliers and partners, some of whom may use a different authoring tool. It also synchronizes supply chain operations by ensuring the right parts are available at the right time.

Ship Service and Support
Shipyards are also focused on managing sustainability requirements and achieving continuous improvement in fleet availability, reliability and overhaul cycle reduction. PLM for Shipbuilding enables shipyards to easily develop and publish all handover documentation included in the vessel specifications and contract. Fleet owners and repair yards can better manage all maintenance and regulatory reporting requirements, service planning, execution, service processes, and metrics monitoring and reporting in a single environment.

Additionally, the PLM for Shipbuilding solution has a pre-configured shipbuilding catalyst, which accelerates customer deployment and solution productivity via a set of industry configuration components and best practice guides.