The ARGOS Optimization Suite is a set of applications built upon OTS proprietary optimization technology that provide dramatically improved schedules for all major shipyard projects including shipbuilding and fleet maintenance.
• The Need at Shipyards
Shipbuilding is a labor-intensive industry that requires relatively skilled and
expensive labor. Approximately 30% of the cost of a new ship is labor, and existing
scheduling systems are not designed to improve the overall efficiency of labor utilization.
Billions of dollars are wasted annually in complex, large-scale shipyard operations
due to the limitations of existing planning and scheduling methods. These methods
are a combination of conventional wisdom, experience, and software systems that
are only capable of finding a solution, without the ability to evaluate or
find a high-quality solution. Complex shipyard operations involve thousands of
decisions regarding task timing and resource utilization. If these choices are well
made, good outcomes can generally be expected. If even a few are poorly made, however,
the result may be much worse than it might otherwise have been. The choices with which
we are presented typically interact in subtle ways that only become apparent after many
other choices have been made, so the best choices can only be determined by exploring
the various combinations of decisions that are available.
• The ARGOS Approach
OTS' flagship optimization product is ARGOS. ARGOS is a shipyard schedule optimization tool that is intended to work in tandem with project management and project scheduling systems. ARGOS is a system that improves labor efficiency in shipyard construction and maintenance projects. ARGOS is the only scheduling system that directly targets efficiency of resource usage as its optimization metric.
The ARGOS scheduler relies on a fundamentally different algorithm than existing scheduling systems, which provides a variety of advantages. This algorithm allows ARGOS to balance numerous, possibly conflicting, objectives instead of simply trying to minimize duration. The ability to optimize for many different criteria simultaneously allows ARGOS the flexibility to meet varying shipyard needs. In addition, the speed of ARGOS makes it possible to re-optimize in response to situational changes and to develop new plans inside the production cycle, offering shipyards the potential to recapture billions of dollars currently "left on the floor" each year.
• ARGOS Results
ARGOS can help reduce labor costs by roughly 10% through better resource utilization (less overtime and less idle time) in addition to improving the chances that the schedule can be executed as designed and determining the optimal workforce size to have available as a project progresses.
Our advanced proprietary technologies and industry expertise combine to produce powerful
applications. OTS software systems and professional services can deliver amazing
results to your organization.