On the relationship between lean scheduling and economic performance in shipbuilding: A proposed model and comparative evaluation

Few studies have examined shipbuilding production processes from a lean scheduling perspective, a production scheduling approach where the primary focus is on minimizing key sources of production waste while ensuring production continuity and on-time delivery. Specifically, this research develops a lean scheduling approach and analytical model for shipbuilding production processes that minimize two specific types of production waste - excessive overproduction and waiting time - critical to the economic viability and management of projects in this industry. From a lean practice-based view (PBV) perspective of the production scheduling nuances in shipbuilding, we develop and numerically apply a lean scheduling model that targets these specific sources of waste and predicts the performance improvement gains. The applicability of the proposed scheduling approach for shipbuilding production is demonstrated through a corresponding numerical and sensitivity analysis where we compare the proposed model's performance with two alternative Makespan scheduling approaches commonly used in shipbuilding practice. Exact optimization results show a significant reduction in both forms of wastes using our proposed lean scheduling approach, leading to a remarkable boost in shipbuilding cost performance over the more traditional Makespan-minimizing scheduling approaches commonly used in this industry.