DAS - INTELLIGENT SCHEDULING SYSTEMS FOR SHIPBUILDING

Daewoo Shipbuilding Company, one of the largest shipbuilders in the wo rld, has experienced a great deal of trouble with the planning and sch eduling of its production process. To solve the problems, from 1991 to 1993, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) and Daewoo jointly conducted the Daewoo Shipbuilding Scheduling (das) Proj ect. To integrate the scheduling expert systems for shipbuilding, we u sed a hierarchical scheduling architecture. To automate the dynamic sp atial layout of objects in various areas of the shipyard, we developed spatial scheduling expert systems. For reliable estimation of person- hour requirements, we implemented the neural network-based person-hour estimator. In addition, we developed the paneled-block assembly shop scheduler and the long range production planner. For this large-scale project, we devised a phased development strategy consisting of three phases: (1) vision revelation, (2) data-dependent realization, and (3) prospective enhancement. The DAS systems were successfully launched i n January 1994 and are actively being used as indispensable systems in the shipyard, resulting in significant improvement in productivity an d visible and positive effects in many areas.