Knowledge

In this video, Professor Christian Schlette (SDU Robotics) talks about the IFD-funded project ShipWeldFlow, where they develop novel digital analysis and optimization tools to support the workflow of robotic welding in shipbuilding operations. They use Digital Twins to address the needs of two companies, Odense Maritime Technology and Inrotech, by the joint development of the required digital tools to innovate the central workflow in modern steel ship production. Based on the Digital Twins, we aim for tackling the essential questions of how shipyard investments in robotic welding solutions can increase efficiency and reduce costs of producing a given ship design, how ship redesigns can lead to material and waste reduction, and how robotic welding solutions can be improved to yield better welding performance for customer-specific ship designs. The session was developed in collaboration with MARLOG.

ECOPRODIGI (2017-2020) is an Interreg Baltic Sea Region flagship project, which links research organisations, enterprises, associations and business support organisations. Altogether, 21 partners jointly investigate the most critical eco-inefficiencies in maritime processes in the Baltic Sea Region as well as develop and pilot digital solutions for improving the eco-efficiency by focusing on three specific cases: 1) digital performance monitoring of vessels, 2) cargo stowage optimisation at ports and 3) process optimisation at shipyards. Furthermore, looking towards the future, the project partners, on one hand, create a digitalisation roadmap and training modules for future decision makers in the maritime industry but also reach out to policymakers to engage them in discussion regarding how they can support the digital change. This report provides an overview of the project and main findings achieved to date, describes the main eco-inefficiencies identified and presents the potential of digital technologies and new concepts for improving them. Also, as the current digital transformation relates to the way how changes are managed in organisations, this report presents the main challenges and requirements identified in the process of moving towards more digitalised business operations. Finally, the last section looks at the maritime sector from a broader perspective and provides some ideas about the most likely future developments. The main findings of the project so far indicate that major improvements in eco-efficiency can be carried out in the maritime industry. They can be summarised as follows: 1) In the first case, ‘digital performance monitoring’, the project partners estimate, for instance, that fuel consumption and emissions can potentially be reduced by 2-20% based on data and analysis from distinct ship segments, routes and their baseline situations. The reductions are possible to achieve by taking such actions as capitalising on the latest digital technologies, utilising and analysing real-time operational data and vessel performance, anticipating operating conditions and maintenance of the ship and its components, changing working methods and improving practices as well as placing a focus on the training of personnel. 2) In the second case, ‘cargo stowage optimisation’ the project partners identified a set of eco-efficiency bottlenecks in the cargo stowage processes at ports that can be subject to improvement. The use of advanced digital technologies can contribute to more efficient utilisation of vessels and terminal operations. The port stays can be reduced, and, thereby, vessels can sail more slowly and reduce fuel consumption and emissions. Moreover, when stability calculations improve due to further digitalisation of cargo unit data, the ship can be loaded more optimally and the amount of ballast water can potentially be decreased without compromising safety, which again reduces fuel consumption on the sea leg. It is estimated that fuel consumption and emissions can potentially be reduced by 2-10% per route and ship and that additional benefits can be gained on the landside due to future digital decision support tools applied for the end-to-end stowage process. In addition, improved cargo unit pick up time estimates can be provided to customers waiting for the cargo to be handled at port, whereby the service improves. 3) In the third case, ‘process optimisation at shipyards’, improved situational awareness and process management, including the use of new technologies, such as 3D and solutions for managing the complex supply chain, have potential for improving the shipyard processes aimed at increased eco-efficiency. For example, in block building phase 3D technology reduces lead-time and potentially saves hundreds of man-hours in rework due to the fact that more efficient processes and proactive actions are enabled.

The report is organized as follows. The introduction will lay out the current state-of-play of eco-efficiency and the zeitgeist of the current situation on maritime that we find ourselves in, in 2020. The next section will provide some historical context looking back to 2010 and 2000 to trace the trajectory and developmental course that we are on. The core contribution of this report is the Shipyard 4.0 Roadmap, that can be found in Figure 1 on page 9. This illustration plots the expectations for technological capabilities and policy from 2020 to 2030. The descriptions of the elements of the roadmap are provided in Appendix 1.

This paper analyzes what happens to redundant skills and workers when large companies close down and whether their skills are destroyed or reallocated. The analysis is based on a combination of qualitative and quantitative data of the closure of four companies. Getting a job in a skill-related industry or moving to a spinoff firm leads to skill reallocation. Thus, the result depends on regional idiosyncrasies such as industry structure and urbanization. If local policy makers and the owners exert a coordinated effort, it is possible to create success stories of less skill destruction in urban as well as peripheral regions.

Med inspiration i Schumpeters teorier om kreativ destruktion undersøger denne artikel centrale aspekter af omstillingerne i dansk erhvervsliv i forbindelse med 1980'ernes og 1990'ernes fire største danske værftslukninger. Det drejer sig om B&W i 1980, Nakskov Skibsværft i 1986, Aalborg Værft i 1987-88 og endelig Danyard Frederikshavn, der lukkede i 1999. Artiklen identificerer 27 spin-off virksomheder, som videreførte forskellige aktiviteter fra de lukkede værfter, og følger deres udvikling frem til 2013. Artiklen dokumenterer, at gruppen af spinn-off virksomheder i årene omkring 2013 havde en omsætning svarende til de gamle værfters omkring 1975. Mens nogle spin-offs ophørte efter få år, formåede de tilbageværende 12 virksomheder at generere langt højere overskud end de værfter, de opstod fra. Artiklen kaster dermed nyt lys på centrale omstillings- og fornyelsesprocesser i dansk erhvervsliv igennem de sidste tre årtier.

This book explores the transformation of Danish shipbuilding from 1975-2015. Specifically it expores the closure of B&W Shipyard in 1980, Nakskov Shipyard in 1986, Aalborg Shipyard in 1987-88, Burmeister and Wain Shipyard in 1996 and Danyard Frederikshavn in 1999. The author identifies 27 firms that were spun out during the closure of five Danish shipyards and finds that several of these firms were able to apply the inherent resources in new activities with more value added. The book also finds that the competencies of the redundant workers from the four shipyards were useful in other parts of the Danish labor market. The book sheds new light how internal and external factors influence the transformation of mature industries.