Changes in design are frequent in shipyards also after the design information is released into work preparation and into production. Thus, change management is an important part of the SPx ENT system. In practice design systems have only the latest version of the design, and they don’t store previous versions of the design.
SPx ENT needs to control version changes of part geometries and information in order to produce parts according to the latest design. This means that if there are design changes the user needs to import design information a second time close to the start of part fabrication and see which nestings are affected by the changes. Part changes may also happen when parts are already in the production process and cutting work needs to be halted in fabrication before cutting or an already cut part needs to be scrapped due to a design change and a new part version needs to be produced.
SPx ENT Change Management is a process that takes into consideration the whole chain of tasks starting from the design and ending at the production floor. It requires accuracy on all levels including the following:
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Design – The design team can make changes in the parts, add new parts, or delete existing parts, which may affect the existing nestings, planning, and shop floor activities. The possible changes include change of part geometry, size, material grade, thickness, and amount.
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Parts in the work planning – Changes can be made after the part is already imported into SPx ENT. Changes in design must be imported into SPx ENT as soon as they are made and finalized. If this is not possible, information should be passed manually to NESTIX to halt the manufacturing of the old version of the part to prevent the part being cut using the old version.
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Manufactured parts – When a new version of a part that is already manufactured is imported into the NESTIX system, a new demand for the order item should be added into NESTIX. The demand must be added, but the user also needs to ensure that the old version of the part will not go forward in the production process.
For more information, see the Change Management manual.