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Abstract
This thesis studies the factors that affect the competitiveness of shipbuilding yards in order to determine the best way to improve the competitive position of shipyards especially those with low productivity and low man-hour cost. Those shipyards represent most shipyards in developing countries with low economy. The thesis consists of seven chapters.
Chapter 1 illustrates, in brief, the main reasons that make shipbuilding one of the industries of strategic importance for most coastal countries. This chapter also demonstrates, in. very short, the global situation of the shipbuilding market showing the main two features of this market. Firstly, very few shipyards/countries, called world class shipyards (Japan, S. Korea and recently China), dominate the largest portion of the market. Secondly, the competition in this market is very severe which makes entering or re¬entering it, a very difficult process. Besides, this chapter introduces what will be covered in the rest of chapters of this thesis.
Chapter 2 discusses in detail the definition and concept of competitiveness and reviews the factors affecting it as well as illustrates how the relative competitive position of any shipyard can be determined. The two elements that control the competitive position of a shipyard are its productivity and man-hour cost. Since, any shipyard (especially with low man-hour cost) has very little control on man-hour cost, increasing the productivity is the only available means to improve its competitive position. Therefore, the concept, definition, and measurement of the shipyard’s productivity have been dealt with in detail in this chapter. A review of the main factors affecting shipyard’s productivity has been carried out. Those main factors can be aggregated under the following categories:
- Level of production technology
- Level of management competence
- Efficiency of the workers
- Producibility (design for production)
This thesis concentrates only on the first three items. Regarding the level of production technology, Chapter 3 has theoretically investigated the impact of technology change on shipyard’s Cost Competitive Position (CCP) through the following steps. Firstly, the influence of technology change on shipyard productivity has been studied. Secondly, the increase in the man¬hour cost due to the technology change as well as the factors that affect this increase have been investigated. AftelWards, the impact of technology change on the cost competitive position of shipyards with low productivity and man-hour cost has been deduced. It has been concluded that for shipyards with low productivity and man-hour cost, the improvement in cost competitive position due to technology changes only, is expected to be small
if any.
Whereas the technology changes take manifold forms, therefore a
restricted/finite increase in the crane lifting capacity in the shipyard is selected as an example for investigating its effect on CCP. This investigation is made through three steps. Firstly, the saving in man-hours required for building a ship, due to the assumed increasing in the lifting capacity, has been estimated. Secondly, increase in shipyard’s man-hour cost, due to the proposed increasing in the lifting capacity has been calculated. Finally, ccp-improvement for hypothetical nine shipyards with different
productivity, man-hour cost, and CCPs has been assessed.
Concerning the shipyard’s management competence, it was inferred from
reviewing what had been published previously that this element is the most important amongst all the factors affecting the shipyard’s productivity and hence its competitiveness. In addition to construction project management functions, that have to be proficiently performed, the duty of an uncompetitive shipyard’s management is to develop the shipyard in order to be able to compete in the international shipbuilding market. Therefore, a shipyard has to establish a comprebensive developing program. This developing program must include the necessary procedures and alternatives through which the targeted productivity and the targeted CCPcan be achieved. Chapter 5 of this thesis introduces a new approach by which those necessary procedures and alternatives can be determined. The new proposed
approach consists of tWo stages as follows:
1. Determination of the target of the shipyard’s developing process. This
target consists of the following elements:
Targeted market sector Targeted competitive position
Targeted productivity Targeted production size Marketing strategy
2. Using planning and scheduling process as a tool to determine the
procedures and alternatives through which the shipyard can be
developed to be able to achieve those targets.
In regard to the efficiency of the workers, it was noted that the shipyards
with low productivity and low man-hour cost are unattractive for highly qualified employees. Consequently, the level of technical and managerial
skills in those shipyards has been reduced. Therefore, the shortage in experienced qualified workers became one of the most important problems facing those shipyards. As a result, those shipyards became unable to self develop and utilize the results of scientific and field studies.
Thus, shipyards, especially those with low productivity and low man-hour cost, have to take into account the factors which lead to:
- Transforming shipbuilding to mass or quasi-mass production industry, - improving the efficiency of the workers,
- increasing worker’s satisfaction and loyalty, and
- making the shipyard attractive for experienced qualified workers.
Those factors can be aggregated as follows:
• Ship building method
• Required qualifications, and new skills
• Continuous work and training
• Accurate work (task) definition
• Level work load
• Working conditions (working environment) and tools
• Team work and positive competition among workers • Incentives
Finally, in Chapter 7, the main conclusions of this thesis have been presented.