Cope with the Uncertainty by Systematic Improvement of Lean Supply Chain Management in Shipbuilding
Chu Niansheng · Science Research · 2022
Based on the same author’s previous study, A Systematic Approach of Lean Supply Chain Management in Shipbuilding, this paper presents further analysis on the uncertainty of supply chain management in shipbuilding, clarifies the nature of uncertainty in the supply chain of shipbuilding, and establishes a systematic improvement model of lean supply chain management to mitigate the uncertainty of supply chain in shipbuilding. It refines the systematic approach on the respect of uncertainty and radically improvement of the theory. With the cases study, it is learnt that uncertainty of the supply chain in shipbuilding forces some trivial, particular, and detailed supply to become urgent issues, especially in the later stage when the ship closes to delivery; in these cases, the solution of solving such urgent parts causes the shipyard to pay a much higher cost. Less urgent issues and uncertainty in the supply chain of shipbuilding can not only benefit the total cost of the supply chain but also the efficiency of building processes. In a systematic path, this paper analyzes the root causes of the uncertainty of the supply chain management in shipbuilding in terms of technical specification, standardization ratio, unforeseen damage and defects, and change of demand schedule. The uncertainty of supply chain management in shipbuilding can be mitigated and reduced by means of high-quality design and engineering, higher standardization ratio in the parts and fittings, and proper safety margin on schedule time. After the procedure of LSCM obtained and refined by circulation for perfection, the professional software bund with new technology devices makes digital transformation reality. In the digital LSCM system, all performance measurement results with the original data of LSCM can be calculated and shown for the management. Therefore, the uncertainty of the LSCM in shipbuilding can be easily captured and solved.