858. The Weight Engineer’s Role in Management Control

Paper

Abstract

The shipbuilding scene of today is one of constant change. Total Package Procurement, contract definition design techniques, multiple ship contract’s, modular construction methods, assembly line fabrication and construction all reflect the change which is required by cost reduction, quicker delivery and competition. At the same time the profile of the weight engineer has been transformed from a semi-technical clerical type to a combination of engineer, ship systems and structures analyst and computer program manager. The change in the shipbuilding scene requires improved management control systems and information with which to plan, schedule, forecast and account for progress in design and construction. Today management is recognizing the weight engineer as a useful tool with which to generate the many and varied tabulated statements needed for management control. The purpose of this paper is to provide a comprehensive view of the areas of shipbuilding planning and production in which the weight engineer should play an important role. The following pages describe how a weight engineer’s control system can be expanded to function within an existing production control system in a major private shipyard.