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The latest from Floorganise. News, articles, prices and awards, launches of new releases, updating about the industry.

Contribute to the Productivity of the Dutch Maritime Manufacturing Industry
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Key Strategies to Increase Productivity in Dutch Maritime Industry

BOOST THE PRODUCTIVITY OF THE DUTCH MARITIME MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY The Maritime Master Plan 2030 calls for initiators within the section Digital Collaboration in the Chain (JMPD). Floorganise, Software for Shipyard Operations, would like to bring together a consortium. We are looking for maritime manufacturing companies that want to work on productivity in the yard, within the chain (as a supplier), and in their own processes. The ambition of the master plan is to apply integral process innovation to all phases within design, construction, and maintenance. The goal is to shorten lead times by dozens of percentages. See also: https://nos.nl/artikel/2495450-kabinet-wil-dat-nederland-weer-zelf-belangrijke-schepen-gaat-bouwen We want to work with you and other companies on part of this overall scope. Before the summer, we will develop ideas into a proposal with your input, define consortia, and the government will decide towards the end of this year about the granting of subsidies. This will allow the execution to start in 2025. If you want to know more, want to participate, or have suggestions or questions, I would love to hear from you! Call Ronald de Vries at 0613324100 or send an email to ronald(at)floorganise.com.

floorganise-in-spain
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Floorganise in Spain

FLOORGANISE STARTS DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT IN SPAIN “World-leading in the digitalization of shipbuilding processes.” With these commendatory words, the Dutch company Floorganise was welcomed to Gran Canaria on March 13, 2024, by Minister Minerva Alonso of Economic Development and Industry. Floorganise is expanding its research and development department to the sunny island. The rapidly growing IT company from Zwolle is opening an office in Gran Canaria to further accelerate the innovation pace of its software solution for improving shipbuilding productivity across Europe and North America. Floorganise CEO Ronald de Vries explains that it is crucial for the shipbuilding sector to deliver on time, improve productivity within supply chains, and increase competitive strength against Asia. The establishment of Floorganise in Gran Canaria is a strategic move. “Floorganise has appreciated the advantages that Gran Canaria offers for the development of applied innovation in the port sector,” said Minister Alonso. “Such moves confirm the success of the sectoral economic promotion activity we have been engaged in for years, through the Economic Promotion Society (SPEGC).” Both parties view Floorganise’s arrival as an investment in the European shipbuilding industry. Europe and North America. “We optimize shipyards through digital process innovation. By creating partnerships within the technological community of Spain and Gran Canaria, such as with universities or the regional maritime cluster, we can accelerate our lead in this field even further.” Floorganise CEO Ronald de Vries Shipbuilding as a Strategic Sector The government brief ‘sector agenda for the maritime manufacturing industry’ has done its job, according to De Vries. “It is gradually being recognized in the Netherlands and the rest of Europe that shipbuilding is a strategic sector. Because of its importance to our economy, but also for current issues such as offshore wind energy or our security. From our expertise and successful approach, we want to continue driving this forward.” About Floorganise Floorganise applies digital process innovation from the shop floor at shipyards. This ensures that all departments and suppliers of the yard work together with a synchronous understanding of priorities, risks, and bottlenecks. This can significantly improve lead time and productivity. The company originally started from an initiative at the Royal IHC shipyard and is now active for about thirty shipyards (repair and new construction) in Europe and North America.

automatisering-naar-de- werkvloer
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Automating Production Control with New F2P Features

FLOOR2PLAN BRINGS AUTOMATION TO THE WORKFLOOR Software developer Floorganise in Zwolle has developed planning software specifically for the shipbuilding industry, designed for the workfloor. Its use can reduce project lead times by 15% and labor hours by 13%, resulting in an overall efficiency improvement of about 20%. Initially developed for Koninklijke IHC and later enhanced, the Floor2Plan software focuses on the workfloor and is designed to be user-friendly for all employees. It makes weekly and daily planning on the workfloor practical and transparent on an individual level, leading to a more efficient construction process and preventing work from interfering with itself. Resounding hammers striking metal and the buzzing sound of a welding machine echo in the vast construction hall of Thecla Bodewes Shipyards in Kampen. Here, they build ships, big ones. This time, one hundred meters long and about thirty-five meters high. They’ve been doing this kind of work here for years, and they intend to keep doing it for years to come. But still, everything is changing. And here comes the still-small Zwolle-based company Floorganise. Anonymously located in the Marslanden industrial estate and unknown to the general public, it’s one of the ten ‘growth pearls’ of the Zwolle Region and could play a crucial role in preserving shipyards in the Netherlands. Because that’s not a given. ‘At larger shipyards, the automation of the engineering process is usually well organized, as are the financial processes,’ says Ronald de Vries, co-owner and business expert at Floorganise. ‘But on the workfloor, there is much less automation. Floor2Plan brings automation to the foremen. This has been happening in other industries for a long time. However, in those industries, the days and weeks are much more consistent, and detailed production standards last longer. At DAF, they can spend two years developing a production line to produce 200 trucks a day for years.’ Floor2Plan ‘A shipyard builds only one ship every few months, and each ship is a bit different. In shipbuilding, you have to combine the engineering process of each ship with the production planning. Automation is often addressed last, with too little time to do it properly. You can learn from building previous ships when building in larger series, but this doesn’t happen often. Even at Damen, where they build in series, there are often significant differences between individual ships of the same type. According to De Vries, shipbuilding often involves periods of intense work followed by downtime. Workers naturally learn a lot on the job, which makes the process more efficient. But when there’s a break in work, employees are sent home. When new orders come in, the process starts over. This has made it difficult for automation to progress on the workfloor.’ Foreman Happy ‘According to De Vries, the practically oriented Floor2Plan will change that. ‘The ironworker, carpenter, or electrician can easily work with it. And the foreman is happy with the solution we came up with because he has to spend much less time in the office.’ However, implementing the program is not always simple and can sometimes cause friction, according to De Vries. ‘But that friction doesn’t occur much on the workfloor. It mostly happens in offices, where people are used to working with theoretical concepts. On the workfloor, you just want your IKEA-like manuals in order, with clear instructions on what needs to be completed today or this week, what’s due next week when materials arrive, and who is waiting for you to finish your work.’ Double work from paper lists is a thing of the past. Drop on Keychain Feadship uses Floor2Plan, for example, at one of its shipyards. Screens are mounted on the shop floor, and everyone on the site has a drop on their keychain, which grants access to the authorized parts of the program for that person. A welder can then see with a click of a finger what needs to be welded that day, who will assist, and what materials are required. Instructions appear on the screen, and it indicates that, for example, it should be completed by Friday so that the next team can start on Monday. ‘Colored checkmarks indicate whether engineering has approved the work. When the checkmarks are green, it means approval has been given. If more information is needed, the 3D program can be opened to view the drawings. A carpentry company can, with this program, quickly see whether the cable pullers have completed their work so that the ceiling can be closed up.’ Administration According to the developers, Floor2Plan offers significant administrative time savings. ‘The foremen, who have the knowledge and skills to supervise the younger generation, no longer need to spend hours in the office doing administrative work. This system reduces that to 10 minutes per day. And the HR manager can check timesheets in no time.’ Geertman Floor2Plan is also suitable for smaller shipyards. For instance, it is in use at Scheepswerf Geertman in Zwartsluis. Owner René Geertman (fourth generation) can now spend more time on the shop floor. ‘Previously, he spent two hours a day on office administration; now it’s 10 minutes,’ says De Vries. ‘Booking materials and scheduling tasks and projects are all managed in Floor2Plan at Geertman. The program provides immediate visibility into work hours and materials used for each task. The double work of paper lists is thus a thing of the past.’ Site manager René Geertman used to spend two hours a day on office administration; now it’s 10 minutes. Co-owner Ronald de Vries of Floorganise in Zwolle Multilingual Program Employees who speak little or no Dutch can access the program in German, French, Romanian, Polish, Vietnamese, English, or Spanish. ‘The application adapts to the user’s language,’ says De Vries. ‘At Damen Vietnam, the program opens in Vietnamese for the Vietnamese staff. At the North American shipyards we serve, many Spanish-speaking individuals receive information in Spanish.’ An employee at Philadelphia Shipyard in the United States can quickly see what tasks are scheduled for them that day or week via one

F2P-features-for-us-naval-shipyards
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Streamlining Planning and Production with PLM and F2P

NEW F2P FEATURES FOR US NAVAL SHIPYARDS/NSRP Streamlining Planning and Production with PLM and F2P Integration 29th of February was day 2 of the of the National Shipbuilding Research Program (NSRP) ‘Automated Detail Planning’ project workshop at the SSI US office. The projects focus on automating the detail planning process and coordinating the project plan through a direct integration with the product model. Attendees Representatives from Eastern Shipbuilding Group Inc., Ingalls Shipbuilding (a Division of HII), General Dynamics – Bath Iron Works, Austal USA, and other shipyards are participating alongside SSI and Floorganise to get hands on the latest project developments. The workshop covers two ongoing projects: Automated Detail Planning and Integrated Shipyard Ops with Engineering Data Automated Detail Planning and Instant Earned Value Control Central topics of the workshop Implementation of last planner methods, task readiness status per task including: Engineering status Design change status Material status Predecessor status _____ Scenario planning and change management: Allow the shop floor to assess the impact of mitigating alternatives Allow the shop floor to apply alternative planning scenarios Allow project management or planners to confirm proposed changes _____ Integration with engineering model (Shipconstructor / Floor2Plan): Automated the detail planning process using engineering model input Use metadata for sequencing, budgeting of activities (weight/welding length) _____   Engineering change notice: Communicate to production which parts are under review Communicate the part status in production to engineering Link to the contents of the considered change _____ Individual scheduling: Create different schedules with different rulesets Apply schedules per worker / trade / department Assign workers to schedule and personal exception Assign workers to projects (repair environment need) _____ Dashboarding: Resource planning scenarios based on hours but also tonnage Resource planning based on individual skills, trades etcetera Resource planning based on different load scenarios SPI / CPI extensive reporting _____   The presented features Novel capability for upstream processes: Using the engineering model for planning Drawing + templates = detail planning Scenario + change management planning View the slider below. Novel capabilities for down stream processes: Task readiness Resource requirements Capacity dashboard for a department or trade View the slider below.

struggling-shipbuilders
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NOS: The Answer for Struggling Shipbuilders: “This is the Solution”

NOS: The Answer for Struggling Shipbuilders: “The Solution” The number of shipyards in the Netherlands is declining, but Floorganise has a solution for the sector’s decline. This has led to enthusiasm from local shipyards to the United States Navy. Discover how a small IT company of 25 people is trying to sustain an entire industry in the Netherlands – and even Europe. Resounding hammers striking metal and the buzzing sound of a welding machine echo in the vast construction hall of Thecla Bodewes Shipyards in Kampen. Here, they build ships, big ones. This time, one hundred meters long and about thirty-five meters high. They’ve been doing this kind of work here for years, and they intend to keep doing it for years to come. But still, everything is changing. And here comes the – still small – Zwolle-based company Floorganise. Anonymously located in the Marslanden industrial estate and unknown to the general public. Yet it’s one of the ten ‘growth pearls’ of the Zwolle Region and could play a crucial role in preserving shipyards in the Netherlands. Because that’s not a given. Work on a ship measuring 100 meters long (photo: RTV OOST/Arnoud de Vries) Shipbuilding in dire straits Shipyards in the Netherlands have been in dire straits for years. Competition from Asia has greatly increased: whereas Europe held 45 percent of the market share in the 1980s, it now holds only 4 percent. Some more figures: ships from Western Europe are 20 to 40 percent more expensive than ships from Asia. “This will have disastrous consequences if we don’t manage to turn the tide,” said Marja van Bijsterveldt last year. She was specially appointed from The Hague as the special envoy for the maritime industry. The government and the sector are investing tens of millions of euros in the coming years to keep shipbuilding in the Netherlands afloat. In short, the problems are significant. “This will have disastrous consequences if we fail to turn the tide.” — Cabinet envoy for the maritime industry Shifting Course And then there’s the small Zwolle company, telling shipyards that they can work 15 to 20 percent more efficiently. How? “By automating as much as possible and making a shipyard paperless,” says owner Ronald de Vries. His company developed special software for this purpose. So that ships can be build faster. “In the same amount of time, you can build 15 to 20 percent more ships than today. That’s what it’s all about. In order to maintain this industry in Europe.” They also expect to experience the benefits in Kampen. “You have to imagine that for one ship, the stack of papers is a meter high,” explains Enrico Goosen from Thecla Bodewes. “Thanks to the new system, everything is digital. If you need something, it’s immediately available. If a drawing needs to be adjusted, it’s arranged quickly, immediately for everyone. It saves a lot of searching and hassle.” “In the same timespan, you can build more ships, that’s what it’s all about.” — Ronald de Vries, Floorganise In addition to digitalization, it’s also about automation and gaining insight into the workflow. “We map out everything,” explains De Vries. “This allows us to provide a lot of information to the shop floor: what are the risks, what risks may arise, how exactly does the workflow function, where can it be more efficient?” ‘Growth Pearl’ from the Zwolle Region Together with nine other ‘scale-ups’ – (start-up) companies with the potential for rapid and substantial growth – Floorganise is part of a project from the Zwolle Region: Rapidly Successful Scaling. In this project, they receive coaching and guidance in making their growth plans, through advisor Martin Landkroon. “Shipyards in the Netherlands produce high-quality products, but at high costs. This company ensures that those costs go down, improving the competitive position. They’re already beyond the national borders and truly have the potential to become market leaders at the European level. But they need to think big, that’s actually the main tip I gave them. Investors also look at that: not just taking small steps, but growing significantly.” Growth has already begun: an office has been opened in Spain, and the company now has a turnover of over one million euros. De Vries: “We’ve reached that magical threshold. Since 2017, we’ve been doubling every two years, and we want to maintain that pace. Not just for higher turnover, but also because it allows us to attract talent. Because our software needs to become increasingly advanced and specialized. So that we can be a global leader in knowledge.” United States Navy Who’s using the technology? Currently, about 15 shipyards in the Netherlands, several more in Europe, and it’s also catching on in America. “Aluminum builders making coast guard ships, inland shipping, ocean-going freighters, superyachts,” lists De Vries the customers. “And in America, we provide tools for a yard that performs repairs for the US Navy. We’re also in contact with the navy itself, where they provide maintenance and repairs for their nuclear fleet.” Yet it almost feels too simple. Digitalization, it’s about time. “Well, shipyards sometimes lag behind the times,” laughs Goosen. “That’s also due to regulations, we want to, but we’re a bit late to the game since we originated from different yards.” The professions filled with manual labor is increasingly digitizing and automating (photo: RTV OOST/Arnoud de Vries) The Solution He sees a lot in the new system, originating from that other Hanseatic city. “Yes, this could be the solution. The logistical process will improve, allowing us to finish a ship faster than the competition from the Far East. It’s a way to sustain this manufacturing industry.” At Floorganise, they remain modest. “It could be part of the solution. European regulations on unfair competition from abroad should also help. The Netherlands is focusing on the industry. In that regard, the momentum is shifting for shipbuilding. If we can play a role in that, it’s wonderful.” From Zwolle to the world’s oceans: this small company could be the salvation for the shipbuilding industry.

SSI- WorkBoat Show
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WorkBoat Interview with SSI

Essential Information for Front-Line Supervisors and How to Deliver It Join us in a conversation with Ronald de Vries, the Managing Director of Floorganise, as we delve into the world of shipyard innovation. This interview, conducted at the esteemed WorkBoat Show, offers a unique glimpse into Floorganise’s transformative IT solutions for shipyards. Discover how Floorganise, an IT company in the Netherlands, navigates the complexities of connecting IT systems to enhance productivity in shipyards. We explore their collaborative efforts, including insights into the National Shipbuilding Research Program (NSRP) project, addressing challenges with practical solutions. External links: Full Interview Webpage LinkedIn Post

demonstration of F2P
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Demonstration of FLOOR2PLAN SHIPYARD-MES

Demonstration of FLOOR2PLAN SHIPYARD-MES High performance under high stress Can Floor2Plan maintain stability under heavy workloads? …running 30 projects and 3 million activities concurrently? Watch our performance demonstration video series demonstrating Floor2plan’s capabilities in dealing with large datasets viewed from different user perspectives. Five scenarios of the most important roles, each with their own specific activities. Watch the videos

Jorge-MariJuan-at-Flooganise
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First Floorganise Commercial Agent in Spain

Jorge Marijuán Castro Named Commercial Agent for Floorganise Las Palmas, GC Spain, sept 5 2023— Jorge Marijuán Castro has been appointed as the commercial agent for Floorganise, the creators of Shipyard-MES Floor2Plan, a transformative solution for shipyards.  This strategic partnership aims to champion digital process innovation across Spanish shipyards, new construction and repair yards, supporting their efforts to adapt and thrive in an evolving industry landscape. With extensive maritime experience, Jorge Marijuán Castro is well-positioned to drive the adoption of Floorganise’s innovative solutions.   “We’re excited to welcome Jorge Marijuán Castro as our commercial agent for the Spanish market. Our joint mission is to empower Spanish shipyards with cutting-edge digital tools, helping them become more competitive globally.” Ronald de Vries, Managing Director of Floorganise. The maritime sector is undergoing a digital revolution, and Spanish shipyards stand to benefit significantly from this collaboration. Shipyard-MES Floor2Plan streamlines operations, engineering and production integration, enhances transparency, and enables data-driven decisions. Jorge Marijuán Castro shared his enthusiasm, stating, “I’m honored to take on the role of commercial agent for Floorganise in Spain. Together, we’ll drive efficiency and innovation in Spanish shipyards, making them more competitive in the global maritime market.” Contact details: Jorge Marijuán Castro Los Brezos 10, 35307 Santa Brígida – Gran Canaria, Spain +34 659 10 76 76

Floor2Plan-2023-Q1 Released
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Floor2Plan 2023 Q1 released!

FLOOR2PLAN 2023 Q1 RELEASED! The 2023 Q1 release of Floor2Plan brings several enhancements, bug fixes, and technical improvements. Here’s a summary of the key points for readers who are not currently using Floor2Plan shipyard-MES:​​     Technical Foundation The application’s technical foundation has been updated to the latest .NET version and related packages, ensuring better stability and performance. Design Update The user interface has received a design update, including the person management module and minor fixes throughout the application. Configurability The release introduces real-time configuration capabilities, allowing users to make changes and updates to settings directly within the software. A workflow engine has been introduced, enabling real-time customization of processes, including automatic assignment of change-, issue- or transport management request tickets and notifications.  Bug Fixes Numerous bug fixes have been implemented across various aspects of the application, including app settings, Gantt charts, reporting, authentication, performance improvements, UX and styling, and more. Migration The release involves a migration to the latest .NET Core version, Azure authentication, and various code and performance enhancements.

Microsoft-net-core
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Floor2Plan upgrades to .NET Core

Floor2Plan upgrades to .NET Core We are excited to announce the upgrade of our complete core base to the new .net core framework. This upgrade is an important step in our mission to provide the most innovative and reliable shipyard-MES solutions to our customers. Our new core base allows us to provide faster response times, improved scalability, and enhanced security. We have also invested heavily in quality assurance to ensure that our customers have a reliable and consistent experience with our product. This includes rigorous testing, automated QA processes, and a comprehensive bug reporting system. We are committed to continuing our investments in the quality and reliability of our software. We believe that this upgrade will help ensure that our customers have the best possible experience with our shipyard-MES solutions. By making sure that our products are up-to-date and secure, we are able to provide the highest quality experience for our customers. We are excited to see what the future will bring and look forward to providing our customers with the best possible experience

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