Plate control and handling, as part of the functional development of production engineering at M.S.C.L. [Malta Shipbuilding Company Limited]

Abstract

It is my belief that a successful company is the one that uses best its available resources. This Is what led me to do my thesis on how to improve the control and handling of plates at Malta Shipbuilding Company Limited ( MSCL), my sponsor. Originally I had the intention of writing solely on the advantages of proper production and production control methods for shipbuilding. Then I decided to decrease the span of my work but increase its depth, so as to make the thesis something more than just a group of ideas. Even still I wanted to emphasize the basics, because I am also a strong believer of the need to establish the right basics in order to succeed. This thesis deals with what is, in my opinion, the best way to control and handle plates at MSCL. It was arrived at after research into a lot of books and journals together with an analysis of the present situation at MSCL. My first conclusion was that no production control method, however good, can be fit into any system at random. No production control method can even fit more than one system. Each system is unique and will require its own set of modifications which can be major or minor. There is usually an overlying influence however, and in this thesis it is a relatively new production control technology by the name of OPT ( Optimised Production Technology). The most difficult part of the thesis was the shift from theory to practice. The books and journals were of little help here and unfortunately some were even misleading. The attention given to the actual analytical work that needs to be carried out in production control is very disappointing, and the little that there is is mostly witheld for commercial reasons. The thesis is divided into four parts. Part 1 contains the introduction. Part 2 contains the description of the present environment in which the plates are being controlled and handled. Part 3 contains the theory, and Part 4 the application of the theory to the actual environment. together with the results and benefits which could be derived from these results.