Manufacturing digitalisation

Company

Royal IHC

Role

Manufacturing Process Specialist

Year

2019 - 2020

Royal IHC was implementing a new ERP (IFS) and PLM (TeamCenter) environment across its engineering and manufacturing operations. Before the systems could be configured, the existing processes needed to be mapped and documented in a way that could be structured within the new software. I led that work for the departments I was responsible for, going directly to the shop floor to understand how work actually happened, and developed a physical workshop method that made complex IT decisions tangible to non-technical stakeholders.

Context

Royal IHC specialises in the design and manufacture of complex vessels and dredging equipment. The ONE IHC programme was a large-scale initiative to implement a new ERP and PLM environment across the company's engineering and manufacturing operations.

Challenge

Before the new systems could be configured, the existing manufacturing processes needed to be mapped, validated, and translated into a format that could be structured within the new software. Many of these processes existed only as tacit knowledge held by experienced engineers and operators, not as documented workflows.

Contribution

As part of a larger agile development team, I led the process analysis and documentation work for the manufacturing and assembly steps of new vessels.

  • Communicated directly with shop floor and engineering teams to understand how work actually happened, then translated that into structured process models used as the basis for ERP and PLM configuration.

  • Developed and ran a physical workshop using laser-cut scale parts and LEGO models of the production line, enabling future users to work through the proposed system logic hands-on rather than evaluating it on slides.

  • Trained users and supported the transition to the new systems.

As part of a larger agile development team, I led the process analysis and documentation work for the manufacturing and assembly steps of new vessels.

  • Communicated directly with shop floor and engineering teams to understand how work actually happened, then translated that into structured process models used as the basis for ERP and PLM configuration.

  • Developed and ran a physical workshop using laser-cut scale parts and LEGO models of the production line, enabling future users to work through the proposed system logic hands-on rather than evaluating it on slides.

  • Trained users and supported the transition to the new systems.

As part of a larger agile development team, I led the process analysis and documentation work for the manufacturing and assembly steps of new vessels.

  • Communicated directly with shop floor and engineering teams to understand how work actually happened, then translated that into structured process models used as the basis for ERP and PLM configuration.

  • Developed and ran a physical workshop using laser-cut scale parts and LEGO models of the production line, enabling future users to work through the proposed system logic hands-on rather than evaluating it on slides.

  • Trained users and supported the transition to the new systems.