IoT and blockchain technologies for process traceability in the shipbuilding industry

Abstract

Traceability in manufacturing, for any type of industry, enables the tracking of products’ components throughout the manufacturing chain, from raw materials to the final product, passing through each intermediate component and process stage, on every industrial player in the chain. The information generated through the manufacturing process, including certificates and inspection results, is registered and thus trackable. In the shipbuilding industry, the process of building a ship is complex, has several stages, and it is important to guarantee high-quality levels during the manufacturing process. For this, the methods and technologies adopted for process traceability must be selected, having in mind the specific requirements and constraints of the shipbuilding industry in the most efficient way. In addition, process traceability may add value to the ship, as all the traceable information may be easily transferred to the end customer. This way, the customer can have the information of any material, component, part, and block of the ship easily and reliably, as well as all the certificates and documents necessary for any process. This paper proposes a blockchain-based system architecture that fosters the traceability of the production processes applied to the shipbuilding industry based on the West Sea Viana Shipyards. The system will be implemented as a case study in the manufacturing process of a shipbuilding block, and therefore readily extendable to the overall ship manufacturing process. The blockchain-based system will contain or refer to all relevant documents (certificates, warranties, etc.) and other pertinent manufacturing data that can be delivered to the customer together with the ship, thus increasing trustability.