Fincantieri Shipyards Digital Twin Model

Abstract

Fincantieri has adopted the model Digital Twin4 for its Shipyards to improve automation and precise control of shipyard activities during ship construction. The Digital Twin represents a digital model (twin) of a process or product and in the case of Fincantieri, it includes two aspects: monitoring the ship construction and controlling the shipyard production process, both interconnected. The Fincantieri approach is to create the Digital Twin of the shipyards and then achieve a global Digital Twin that includes all activities, extending it to all Fincantieri's supply chains and shipyards, integrating the economic and financial dimension to interpret the impacts of one on the other. The Twin framework adopted by Fincantieri includes the following thematic areas: Planning and Scheduling, Production, Logistics and Supply Chain, Quality, Health & Safety, Industrial Metaverse, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence. The framework is mainly composed of three elements: Data, Graphic (Visualization) and Simulation. A fundamental element for build a Digital Twin is the analysis of the existing project and process, identifying bottlenecks and issues, and determining if technology can solve them. However, it is not the technology that drives the final goal, but the support to achieve the goal itself: in this paradigm, the crucial aspect of the transformation process is Change Management and adoption by personnel through actions such as communication and training. The technologies used to create the Digital Twin involve: Robotics (automatic movement and advancement through AI-processed images), Tracking systems, Exoskeletons, Industrial Metaverse, Artificial Intelligence, IoT, Adaptive manufacturing.