Advanced technology driving Maritime 4.0

There’s no doubt the manufacturing sector has been transformed by Industry 4.0 and its advanced technologies. However, this was slower to reach bigger projects such as shipbuilding until recently, with the introduction of Maritime 4.0. Following are highlights of the rise of digital shipyards in commercial and military shipbuilding – but for this upward trajectory to continue, an integrated data environment to support digitized manufacturing operations and construction ecosystems is needed.

The manufacturing of products, equipment, and machinery have been improved due to Industry 4.0. Other areas of aerospace and defense (A&D) manufacturing such as the manufacturing of highly complex military aircraft components have been impacted by 4.0 tech and are now looking at how to bring these developments back to skilled workers with an eye on the emergence of Industry 5.0.

But the combination of manufacturing, construction, and project management in shipbuilding is far more complex. With the introduction of 3D printing (3DP), digital twins, augmented reality/virtual reality (AR/VR), machine learning (ML), and artificial intelligence (AI), all proven technologies to digitize any sector, the shipbuilding industry is ready to embrace Maritime 4.0.

Shipbuilding to go digital

The rationale and motivation for the adoption of Maritime 4.0 is clearly explained by the Australian Industrial Transformation Institute: “In line with all other forms of manufacturing, Industry 4.0 offers a vision for transformation of the shipbuilding industry through the establishment of digital shipyards and adoption of a Shipyard 4.0 agenda. It’s important to acknowledge just how transformative such a vision is and how challenging it’ll be to realize. The motivations and drivers must be powerful and the benefits extensive. The idea of digital shipbuilding and importantly, sustainment, is propelled by the prospect of significant improvements in productivity, efficiency, reliability, quality, and safety throughout the life cycle of vessels.”

Market projections support this growth trajectory. ResearchAndMarkets data sees the digital shipbuilding sector poised for explosive growth – from $1.3 billion in 2022 to $7.7 billion by 2032, with an impressive 19.8% compound annual growth rate (CAGR).

Maritime 4.0

According to a recent study in the Procedia Manufacturing journal published as part of the International Conference on Industry 4.0 and Smart Manufacturing, Maritime 4.0 allows:

• The automated integration of real data into decision making
• The adoption and implementation of connected technologies for design, production, and operation
• Reduction of vessel environmental impact, related to production, operation, disposal (including emissions, underwater noise, and material use)
• Affordable and sustainable operation
• Reduction of risk, increasing safety and security

It’s essential shipbuilders prioritize digital advancements. The digital oversight of maritime and naval assets begins not at sea, but at the beginning of a ship’s life cycle – in the design process and at the manufacturing stage.

Success or failure of Maritime 4.0 implementations depends on addressing four critical areas. First, implementations must cope with a breadth and depth of complexity Industry 4.0 never encountered. Technology implementation can’t be piecemeal but part of a much wider integrated environment. Third, all implementations must establish the highest possible security within this digital thread. Finally, no implementation can ignore the need to build in sustainability.

1. The complexity of shipbuilding is unrivaled – incorporating defense takes it to the next level

Difference in scale means difference in kind – manufacturing a sea vessel is more akin to managing a full-scale construction project than traditional manufacturing of parts and products. Consider the latest aircraft carriers currently in-service and under construction such as the U.S. Navy Gerald R. Ford Class. The USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78) features a 78m (256ft)-wide flight deck equipped with an electromagnetic aircraft launch system and advanced arresting gear. The carrier has the capacity to carry more than 75 aircraft and can accommodate 4,539 personnel.

Manufacturing a complex, state-of-the-art asset requires supporting systems to effectively manage a full-scale construction project. Even commercial shipbuilding, though often less complex in design, comes with complexities – stringent import/export rules varying widely by country, new requirements for infectious disease control, and high labor costs, just to name a few. Global competition is fierce and dominated by low-cost labor countries: More than 90% of global shipbuilding takes place in China, South Korea, and Japan.

Complex projects require the highest class of project management systems: Coming to grips with such complexity needs the support of an industry-specific and enterprise-breadth system that can manage a unique manufacturing process. These complex builds take years to complete and must be managed extremely closely from a time and cost perspective. That means support for project management is critical.

It means managing supply chain processes to optimize scarce resources and parts delivered from multiple tier 2 and tier 3 manufacturers around the world. It means asset management functionality that can manage maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) throughout the life cycle of a vessel for shipbuilders continuing to support asset management after initial construction and deployment.

2. The technology to turn shipyards digital

Naturally, the transformational technologies that are an essential part of Industry 4.0, from AI and ML to 3DP and digital twins, will play a defining role in Maritime 4.0 strategies – and taking advantage of these technologies requires digital transformation. In response, major naval forces have been taking steps to digitize in recent years.

In 2017 the UK Royal Navy announced project NELSON, specifically designed to deliver digital transformation across the service. The U.S. Navy has made great strides with its Naval Operational Business Logistics Enterprise (NOBLE) project. The program will eliminate more than 700 database/application servers and consolidate more than 23 currently isolated application systems – ultimately aiming to improve asset readiness both on a shore and material basis.

Successful digital transformation starts with an Integrated Data Environment: Now shipbuilders must cross the digital chasm. Any successful naval or maritime digital transformation program means putting in place a full Integrated Data Environment (IDE) requiring close collaboration from military organizations, industry players, and software providers. It’s clear a fully digital shipyard needs to be underpinned by a software system agile enough to act on the increasing data volume and complexity to deliver quantifiable operational benefits.

Take IFS customer, submarine and warship builder ASC, Australia’s largest defense prime contractor, that recently announced a company-wide digital transformation program. The comprehensive program will set the ground for the ASC transition to becoming a digital shipyard – facilitating more streamlined processes, enhanced integration between systems, and the expanded use of real-time data to drive optimized decision-making across the organization.

3. Cybersecurity is a must for Maritime 4.0

But the IDE and digital backbone supporting Maritime 4.0 won’t come without its challenges – and cybersecurity will be just as pervasive in the shipbuilding sector as in any other. This is recognized by a recently published U.S. Congressional Research office paper on U.S. Navy force structure and shipbuilding plans: “The digital thread from manned ships and autonomous platforms provides enormous opportunities for efficiencies in coordination, operation, maintenance, and cyber-resilience. However, this thread of critical data, including location, heading, and platform health, presents one of the biggest opportunities for cyber threats and cyberattacks to Navy vessels. End-to-end cybersecurity and anti-tamper technology need to be addressed for a wide range of systems, from small man-portable autonomous vessels to systems as large as carrier groups.”

Shipbuilding must meet high defense security standards: The defense sector has been ahead of the curve when it comes to cybersecurity best-practices – and shipbuilders servicing military customers will need to ensure compliance with strict regulations. Regulatory-compliant software can be a key differentiator when bidding for ship manufacturing contracts.

Enterprise software should be a strategic enabler for information assurance and cybersecurity. It should be designed from the ground up with security in mind, and address risks and threats throughout all phases of the software development life cycle.

4. Industry 4.0 keeping maritime industry on track for sustainability

Maritime sustainability has been a huge focus area in recent years – and Maritime 4.0 will positively impact sustainability. The International Maritime Organization (IMO) has been spearheading an industry-wide effort to accelerate a major fuel and technology transition in response to the climate challenge – its goal is to reduce annual CO2 emissions by at least 50% by 2050. Military forces are also looking at greener operations for newly built ships. The UK Royal Navy has recently implemented a catalytic reduction system in two of its newest warships reducing emissions of nitrogen oxide up to 97%.

One recent academic paper from the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Industrial Design at Cadiz University highlighted 12 key Industry 4.0 technologies as most impactful to make the shipbuilding supply chain more sustainable – including additive manufacturing (AM), big data analytics, AR, and more. In all of this, supporting enterprise software has an essential role to play in this green maritime future.

An eco-friendly future gets a kickstart with enterprise software

Good supply chain optimization can help manage composite materials and new manufacturing techniques drastically reducing unnecessary emissions.

Again, IDE has a key role to play here. When shipbuilding data is funneled through one system, enterprise software can assign a sustainability score to every process across a shipbuilding organization’s value chain.

Maritime 4.0 turns shipyards digital

The future of commercial and military shipbuilding is heading in the digital direction thanks to Maritime 4.0. The biggest obstacle in the way is the complexity of projects and components far beyond the reach of traditional A&D manufacturing techniques. To achieve the efficiency, visibility, security, and sustainability associated with Maritime 4.0 – shipbuilders and naval forces must transition to an integrated data environment.

About the author: Matt Medley is global industry director, A&D, at IFS.

IFS https://www.ifs.com