Towards a Concept for Digitalized Yard Logistics—Outlining the Next-Generation Features

Abstract

Yards are industrial sites for production and servicing of ships and offshore maritime installations, such as oil and gas platforms and modules, offshore windmills, and fish farms—all essential products in the maritime industry. Although many yards are performing highly complex and technically advanced production, there is still a need to bring the internal logistics of yards to a corresponding level of advancement. Industry 4.0 technologies may answer this need, and this paper presents a concept for digitalized yard logistics. The concept is developed through a concept development activity inspired by design science research, based on a multiple case study of 8 Norwegian yards, including shipyards and offshore construction yards. By mapping these yards, in particular their current level of digitalization, we propose a concept grounded in practice. The concept is built upon four main features of digitalized yard logistics: i) seamless, digitalized information flow, ii) identification and interconnectivity of objects, iii) digitalized operator support, and iv) automated and autonomous material flow. The paper describes and visualize how currently available digital technologies can be applied in the yard logistics context, to achieve those four main features. The concept may be used as inspiration for moving towards the next generation of yard logistics. The paper also addresses qualitatively the potential effects of digitalized yard logistics on yard logistics performance. In this way, the paper may serve as a starting point for more advanced and specific developments, as well as possible realizations, of digitalized yard logistics systems.