Development and applications of simulation tools for one-of-a-kind production processes

Since 1997 the simulation team at Flensburger Shipyard has been developing simulation tools for the requirements of one-of-a-kind production processes. Compared to simulation applications in series production there is a strong need for a flexible modeling approach to cover all variants of assembly and logistics operations in site production. To meet these requirements Flensburger Shipyard developed the Simulation Toolkit Shipbuilding (STS) as the modeling backbone of all simulation activities. At Flensburger Shipyard simulation tools are applied in various ways. Facility layout planning is supported as well as continuous production planning and control. Especially the application in production planning results in a strong benefit in one-of-a-kind production. Planning reliability and productivity can be increased by the dynamic and detailed analysis of the upcoming production program. This paper shows the general modeling approach as well as applications for simulations aided production planning in part production and complex assembly including outfitting.