1. Pipe Shops in a Shipyard
1.1 The Importance of Piping
The importance of pipes in our daily lives is evident just by observing our surroundings. Turning on the tap, it is the water pipe which brings us the water. Turing on the gas stove, it is the gas pipe which brings us the gas required to start the fire. Operating the hydraulic hatch, it is the hydraulic pipes which ensure that the hydraulic oil pushes the hydraulic cylinders, and the list goes on.
Bruce and Garrard (1999) mentioned in their book that piping production is second on the list of importance after steel production. It is hard not to understand by considering how so much systems requires pipes to be installed for it to be operational.
A typical ship has a large array of systems …show more content…
With the rearrangement of a pipe shop layout, it decreased the distance of workflow of material, thus saving time and increasing productivity.
However, this is only a very generic example of how rearrangement of a pipe shop layout can bring out productivity. Depending on the output of the pipe shop, the company will then decide whether it is worth investing in certain technologies.
In a presentation made by Ashcroft (2009), a project was launched to develop an automated planning and control system which can be used in the pipe shop. This system will allow efficient handling of pipes fabrication and gives the user the autonomy to make changes to schedules to accommodate urgent requests.
Bringing innovation to another level will be a pipe shop in Keppel FELS Limited. As mentioned by Lai et al. (2010), in order to reduce the time needed to transfer pipes, their employees designed a pipe dispenser, inspired by the straw dispenser we see in eateries. With this product, a 40% reduction in time is achieved and the manpower usage dropped from 3 to …show more content…
To achieve that, I plan to derive a list of Key Performance Indicators (KPI), catered to the different piping installation works onboard the vessel. These KPI will take into consideration the following aspects:
(i) Pipe Size
(ii) Different stages of the project
(iii) Different locations of installation works
Performing this study with Keppel FELS Limited and harnessing the expertise of the experts there, a KPI will be formulated for the different scenarios a piping worker will experience.
In order to ensure that the KPI remains relevant and realistic, it will be validated with actual results on a daily basis. Hence, making it relevant for the employees.
Ultimately, I hope to cultivate an environment whereby the workers can work towards a realistic target, knowing that their supervisors will be aware whenever they meet their KPI. Also, for employees that are not able to meet their KPI, supervisors will be made aware and find out what is wrong. This system will allow a check and balance between the supervisor and workers, making work on site more realistic and
1.1 The Importance of Piping
The importance of pipes in our daily lives is evident just by observing our surroundings. Turning on the tap, it is the water pipe which brings us the water. Turing on the gas stove, it is the gas pipe which brings us the gas required to start the fire. Operating the hydraulic hatch, it is the hydraulic pipes which ensure that the hydraulic oil pushes the hydraulic cylinders, and the list goes on.
Bruce and Garrard (1999) mentioned in their book that piping production is second on the list of importance after steel production. It is hard not to understand by considering how so much systems requires pipes to be installed for it to be operational.
A typical ship has a large array of systems …show more content…
With the rearrangement of a pipe shop layout, it decreased the distance of workflow of material, thus saving time and increasing productivity.
However, this is only a very generic example of how rearrangement of a pipe shop layout can bring out productivity. Depending on the output of the pipe shop, the company will then decide whether it is worth investing in certain technologies.
In a presentation made by Ashcroft (2009), a project was launched to develop an automated planning and control system which can be used in the pipe shop. This system will allow efficient handling of pipes fabrication and gives the user the autonomy to make changes to schedules to accommodate urgent requests.
Bringing innovation to another level will be a pipe shop in Keppel FELS Limited. As mentioned by Lai et al. (2010), in order to reduce the time needed to transfer pipes, their employees designed a pipe dispenser, inspired by the straw dispenser we see in eateries. With this product, a 40% reduction in time is achieved and the manpower usage dropped from 3 to …show more content…
To achieve that, I plan to derive a list of Key Performance Indicators (KPI), catered to the different piping installation works onboard the vessel. These KPI will take into consideration the following aspects:
(i) Pipe Size
(ii) Different stages of the project
(iii) Different locations of installation works
Performing this study with Keppel FELS Limited and harnessing the expertise of the experts there, a KPI will be formulated for the different scenarios a piping worker will experience.
In order to ensure that the KPI remains relevant and realistic, it will be validated with actual results on a daily basis. Hence, making it relevant for the employees.
Ultimately, I hope to cultivate an environment whereby the workers can work towards a realistic target, knowing that their supervisors will be aware whenever they meet their KPI. Also, for employees that are not able to meet their KPI, supervisors will be made aware and find out what is wrong. This system will allow a check and balance between the supervisor and workers, making work on site more realistic and