The planning environment in American shipyards has undergone a change[of technique and attitude with the upswing in use of computers. Traditional planning mechanisms have given way to PERT networks and sophisticated data collection and reporting computer systems. This transition has not been as successful as was intended as evidenced by the planning and scheduling problems faced by many of these computerized yards. Data processing was moved from the basic accounting arena into operations research and massive production-oriented systems which has diluted the planning effort. This is caused by planners which have not evolved from production, a planning attitude that the computer can solve all problems. and management's inability to recognize the shortcomings of computer software. Technology is available to assist the shipyard with total planning and complete ship's plans and schedules. However planning. in itself, must be adapted to use this computer technology and not be driven by it.

Private shipyards are under heavy pressure to improve productivity. So are the naval shipyards. Like the private shipyards, naval shipyards are focusing on improved production planning, scheduling, labor/progress data collection, and industrial engineering as the main thrust of their productivity improvement programs. Unlike the private shipyards, however, the naval shipyards are drawing heavily on the use of computers to support these functions. One project, the subject of this paper, is of particular interest since a computer is used to integrate planning, scheduling, work-in-process tracking and labor collection functions with engineered labor standards to provide a closed-loop production control system for a key production shop at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard. This system achieved operational status during the spring of 1980. A complete economic history of its initial economic justification, development and operating costs and preliminary indications of payback are now available. Since the design of this system makes it quite appropriate for private shipyard use, the data included within this paper should be of interest to those concerned with the economics of computers in private shipyard production control functions. Results of this project are correlated with the objectives and results of the National Shipbuilding Research Program.

Over 40 people attended the discussion group titled "Information Systems and Data Processing Problems." There were seven shipyards represented as well as several areas within the Navy and a few other organizations. The yards represented ranged from small organizations with only about 30 people in data processing to very large organizations with over 200 people in data processing and a budget greater than $20 million per year for data processing services. Six out of the seven yards represented stated that they had two or more IBM systems in their data processing organizations. Other systems mentioned were a Univac, a Honeywell and some mini-systems for unique applications.

The paper discusses a number of facets of Computer-Aided Ship Design and Construction (CASDAC) in which the writer has been involved. A brief history of computers in the Navy is given, some notes on the CASDAC project, the flavor of two recent programs, Navy planning and philosophy in detail design. and construction, some notes on the Computer-Aided Piping Design and Construction (CAPDAC) project, and finally some notes on the increasingly important role of computer science. The U.S. Navy has a long history in the use of computers in shipbuilding. In May 1944 the first computer came into operation at Harvard, the Automatic Sequence Controlled Calculator -- the Harvard Mark I. This was designed and constructed by Professor Howard Aiken -- at that time a Commander in the United States Navy. It was the Bureau of Ships which first sponsored the operation of this calculator and some of the first problems attacked originated from the Bureau. In 1952, the Applied Mathematics Laboratory was established at the now David W. Taylor Naval Ship Research and Development Center (DTNSRDC) to initiate computer service to the Navy. For this installation the Univac's 6th computer was installed in 1953. Early work included shaft vibrations, shell stiffening, propeller design, underwater sound intensities, pipe stress analysis, and nuclear reactor design. Within a year, this computer was operating around the clock. By 1958, clients included personnel from the naval shipyards processing programs associated with their ship construction program. By 1960 naval shipyards possessed their own computers and programs were in operation for tank capacity tables, hull deflection, voltage drop, shock mounts, sound isolation, mast calculations, weights and moments, propulsion shaft bearing reactions, pipe bend calculations and pipe stress analysis.

Presentation gives an overview of uses and advantages of computer aided design.

Proceedings of the REAPS Technical Symposium. Paper No. 12: Network Scheduling of Shipyard Production, Engineering, and Material Procurement.