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LCMS Architecture

KBSI has been awarded a contract by the Louisiana Center for Manufacturing Sciences (LCMS) to study measures for improving production planning in the U.S. shipbuilding industry.  This study will involve a comprehensive survey of current production planning practices in Tier 1 and Tier 2 shipyards, development of a TO-BE production planning environment for these shipyards, and development of a roadmap for implementing and achieving the TO-BE vision. 

In the first stage of the initiative, KBSI will use the Integration DEFinition (IDEF) family of modeling methods to model and develop an AS-IS baseline of the scope and semantics of production planning as conceived by different stakeholders in the industry (including suppliers and tool providers).  This stage will involve developing AS-IS models for individual shipyard production planning functionality, tools, and methods, with the ultimate aim of abstracting and generalizing across these shipyards to develop a composite AS-IS model.  The function models will be developed using KBSI’s AIØ WIN® software, a tool for advanced function and activity based cost modeling and analysis.  The model development will be performed in collaboration with LCMS and other industry stakeholders, an approach that adds depth to the models by including the perspectives of several domain experts and that furthers understanding and buy-in of the roadmap development process among the industry players. 

With this AS-IS baseline in hand, KBSI will next begin work on developing the TO-BE vision of production planning:  i.e., modeling how an improved production planning system would look and function.  This stage of the project involves identifying and compiling the issues, concerns, problems, and challenges associated with current production planning practices, including gathering information concerning how these issues and problems impact the cycle-time and cost of ship production and overhaul.  Using this information, KBSI will then define and model the characteristics and features of a TO-BE production planning environment, including mapping the current state of the art in methods and tools—in use or available—that support production planning processes in the AS-IS baseline and that could support future requirements in the TO-BE design.  In addition, as part of the TO-BE vision development, KBSI will identify other government organizations or industries, both in the U.S. and abroad, that are engaged in similar initiatives and whose work or insights the LCMS project might leverage.

Phase II Development

The final stage of the project will involve developing the roadmap itself:  i.e., the LCMS Production Planning Roadmap that will help transition production planning in the shipbuilding industry from the current, AS-IS state to a TO-BE environment that addresses the identified industry needs and the technology and capabilities voids that were discovered.  KBSI will compare the AS-IS and TO-BE models, identify the cross currents and gaps between them, and structure the gaps into thrust areas and, ultimately, individual projects in the thrust areas to focus transition work.  The development of this roadmap will not only result in a plan for a streamlined production planning environment, but will also help improve existing technologies and trigger the development of new technologies to plug any gaps. A Roadmapping Workship with industry experts and other stakeholders will gather feedback and help to refine and augment these models.

The end result of the project will be comprehensive AS-IS and TO-BE models of production planning that also document the connections and gaps between these two states.  These gaps will be the focus of thrust areas and projects that will seek to bridge the gaps and achieve an optimal production planning environment.  KBSI’s work will provide LCMS with a comprehensive understanding of current production planning shortcomings, a model of an optimized production planning environment including the tools, methods, and technologies to support this vision, and a plan for transitioning to this environment that will help the shipbuilding industry reestablish competitiveness in the global market.