Ναυπηγική στην Ιαπωνία
By combining welded block assembly methods, aircraft-style production control systems, and statistical process control, Japanese shipbuilders at Kure created a whole new method of building ships. While the ideas behind the method are easy enough to explain, actually adopting the system was difficult. It required much more work upfront to create a block-by-block breakdown of an entire ship, complete with a list of exactly what parts were needed when. More monitoring and oversight was needed to hunt down and eliminate sources of variation and keep processes within statistical boundaries, which in turn required highly skilled managers (Japan was notable for having very large numbers of shipyard managers with university degrees compared to the US.) Huge investments in shipyard infrastructure were required: in cranes that could lift the huge blocks, in large drydocks, in new yards arranged to have an efficient flow of material and room to store work in process. And it required a great deal of coordination and schedule discipline to ensure everything, from materials on individual pallets to hundred-ton grand blocks, were ready for installation at the proper time.
Implementing the system was difficult. But when it worked, it allowed Japan to build ships dramatically faster and cheaper.
Η Ιαπωνία πάτησε στις μεθόδους που χρησιμοποιούσαν οι ΗΠΑ στον 2ο Παγκόσμιο Πόλεμο για την κατασκευή πλοίων και τις εξέλιξε πολύ, εφευρίσκοντας έτσι τη μοντέρνα ναυπηγική. Πολλά περισσότερα στον σύνδεσμο, από το εξαιρετικό Construction Physics.