The continuing growing economy and increase in global trade has led the rapid growth of the e-commerce. The covid-19 pandemic has further contributed to this growth since in store-shopping was restricted. The growth of the e-commerce has forced logistic companies to continuously improve their supply chain in order to stay competitive and has also led to the increase of truck transportation as they serve as the primary mode of transporting products from suppliers to Fulfillment Centers (FCs) within the inbound system. This highlights the importance of truck logistics, which encompass all the different movements trucks make within a FC. Truck logistics have a significant impact on the flow of the inbound system as they proceed through the processes of the inbound system in chronological order. Therefore, poor organized truck logistics can have many consequences to the operational logistics of the inbound system and therefore impact the system performance of the inbound system. High congestion of trucks, high waiting times, delays in unloading trucks as a result lead to a poor overall system performance of the inbound system. A lot of literature studies have been done on improving the inbound system, but not focused at fulfillment centers. Also, none of these studies can be found on concerning the consequence of eliminating the rejection of non-unloaded trucks. This research addresses the research gap of improving the inbound system of FCs with the objective of eliminating the rejection of non-unloaded trucks and reducing the pressure on the waiting areas within the inbound system. By conducting a case study at bol.com and using their current state, a Discrete Event Simulation model for fulfillment centers is developed to measure, analyze and evaluate the impact of the increasing truck logistics on the system performance of the inbound system and to design strategies to eliminate the rejection of non-unloaded trucks. Seven strategies have proven to improve the system performance of the inbound system at fulfillment centers. An evaluation was performed with a Multi-Criteria Analysis in order to select the most appropriate strategy for the company.

Purpose - With the ongoing rise of product returns in the fashion industry, exacerbating its GHG footprint when it should be lowered, this paper aims to provide a measurement tool for companies to improve the environmental impact of product returns while considering the economic costs. Companies do not have an understanding of the impact of these returns on their performances, resulting from a gap in research where an accurate measurement method lacks that includes all activities and return methods.
Design/methodology/approach - The returns process and the return methods were analyzed using a literature study and interviews with experts, resulting in a set of environmental and economic indicators. These indicators were aggregated in a Composite Indicator (CI) by rescaling, analytical hierarchy process, and multiplicative aggregation techniques. A benchmark for target performance was developed based on reduction targets of the European Commission, using rescaling, equal weighting, and multiplication and integrated into the CI. An uncertainty- and sensitivity analysis confirmed the model’s robustness. A case study of a fashion retailer verified the model. A scenario analysis based on the PESTLE framework was used to validate the CI and benchmark. A company’s performance measured was compared against the verified benchmark by calculating the performance gap.
Findings - The environmental and economic impact of the return methods for the base case was measured. The impact of the return methods was compared against the benchmark, which shows that home pick-ups have the smallest performance gap with the benchmark for this retailer. Instore returns have the largest gap with the benchmark, indicating worse company performance and lower compliance with the EC targets. The scenario analysis showed how companies could use this CI to compare return improvement strategies with each other and provided potential solutions for companies to improve their performance.
Research limitations/implications - This research provides a tool for fashion companies to measure, analyze, and improve the environmental impact of returns on their performances with EC reduction targets while considering their costs and providing transparency. Customers and governments are provided with transparent information on what- and how a company measures the environmental impact of returns. Governments can use the CI and benchmark proposed in this paper as a transparent tool for environmental reporting and compare the performances of companies sector-wide. For academics, this research provides multiple research opportunities.
Originality/value - This paper contributes by creating a new CI for company performance measurement for fashion companies on the environmental and economic impact of product returns. A new measurement method that assesses the environmental and economic impact of the return activities is developed and gives insight into the differences between the return methods. Also, a new benchmark expressing target performance is developed and incorporated in this CI based on reduction targets of the EC to combat climate change.

The present study was designed to gain a deeper understanding of RTI control and Supply Chain Coordination, with a specific focus on the practical challenges experienced in the reverse logistics by asset-owner and asset-users. A case study at EPS - an RTI owner - is performed and a practical problem has been addressed with a design science and TIL systems engineering approach. It was observed that a huge amount of deposit is allocated to a retailer's generic account. The current state analysis found that this problem is mainly due to inefficiency in the current identification process with physical SSCC labels. The design goal of minimising the "Delta" -the number of unidentifiable return packages- was defined. Ways to redesign the reverse logistics were determined with the aim that all return packages can be allocated to the retailer at shop level. Based on the future state requirements and the design goal, the concept of matchmaking is developed as a way to achieve the design goal. This thesis shows that a matchmaking system can improve the traceability of return packages and that it has the potential in bringing the Delta of return packages with missing shoplink to zero.
The matchmaking system is defined as the framework that ensures matchmaking, which uses a "key" generated by the sender to represent the return package. If the receiver can find the key upon arrival of the return package at the depot, the sender can be identified. Seven matchmaking systems were considered. Five alternatives use unique tray identities as key. One alternative uses the load carrier as key and the last alternative uses the return package identity as key. The validation results show that an "all read" or "reading of all individual trays" is not a requisite for a working matchmaking system. By contrast, as long as a certain ratio of reading at two locations is reached, an all-read scenario can be mimicked. The assessment investigated the instances in which zero mismatch take place. Results show that the higher the data capture capability of both the sender and receiver, the higher the chance a match can take place and the smaller the chance of a mismatch. This thesis creates insights on requirements for enhancing traceability of RTI's in the return chain and developed a matchmaking concept that can address the practical problem of returns without traceability of shop origin. The developed matchmaking concept is the outcome of an analysis of the current state and makes use of data elements that are already being collected in the database, in the case of EPS. The study addresses how collected data can be leveraged for enhanced RTI management in the reverse logistics and may inspire practitioners to face challenges with a similar lean approach.

Currently, the energy transition is a topic for discussion and many organizations are taking measures to reduce the effects of climate change. Armed forces are exempt of these new regulations on the grounds of national security, but some have already started taking steps to reduce the amount of harmful emissions. Due to the high efficiency and advantages that fuel cells present, the aim of this master's thesis is to study their feasibility on board of a naval surface vessel, testing it in a concept design.
This report consists of two main parts. The first part tries to find the most suitable combination of naval surface vessel, type of fuel cell, and type of hydrogen carrier. It is concluded that the types of naval surface vessels that could benefit the most from the use of fuel cells are frigates and mine warfare vessels, in order to reduce their acoustic signatures; and offshore patrol vessels (OPVs), due to their constant base load, because it is a type of ship that is mostly cruising or patrolling.
Solid oxide fuel cells (SOFCs) are here considered to be the most promising type of fuel cells for naval surface vessels. This is not only because of their high efficiency, but also due to their ability to internally reform hydrogen carriers, making them more versatile. Other fuels than pure hydrogen can therefore be selected, which leads to the choice of ethanol and methanol as best candidates. The latter has already shown good performance when combined with SOFCs and is largely available worldwide.
Next, in the second part of this report, the concept design of an OPV using SOFCs fuelled by methanol is tested. On a systems level, the integration of SOFCs adds multiple elements and complexity to the power plant of the concept design. Moreover, since the SOFCs are only used to generate the base load needed to reach cruising speed and its auxiliary power, a peak power source is needed to reach higher speeds. After having considered batteries, diesel engines, and methanol engines, it was concluded that methanol engines provide the highest operational flexibility, on top of being the lightest combination.
When comparing the concept design to the reference design, they both score similarly in terms of redundancy and they both fulfil the same design requirements. In terms of operational capabilities, the concept design can sprint for less time due to the difference in efficiency of the power source used to cruise (fuel cells) and to sprint (methanol engines) and does not have the ability to extend its range above the design requirement, opposite to what the reference design can.
The use of a SOFC-based power plant shows a reduction in CO2 emissions between 13-23% depending on the type of mission, a 100% reduction of SOx and PM due to the use of methanol as a fuel, and a reduction of at least 68% in NOx emissions.

Ground Support Equipment (GSE) fleets must be made more sustainable to contribute to the achievement of emission stabilisation and reduction goals for a growing aviation sector. Electrification of GSE offers great opportunities to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions, thereby increasing sustainability. This research focuses on how to design an airport service infrastructure for sustainable refueling of aircraft using electric refuelers. Although important for the design of such infrastructure, current literature fails to investigate potential emission reduction as a result of implementing electric GSE in mixed fleets with conventionally fueled GSE. Therefore, this work presents the development of a capacity model that quantifies the performance of sustainable refueling service infrastructures, consisting of partially (or fully) electrified fleets and charging points, in terms of annual CO2e emissions. Using future flight schedules as input, this algorithm models the activity of electrified refueler fleets taking charging downtime and forecasted airport growth into account. Model outputs provide insights in future fleet size, fleet mix and charging infrastructure requirements on a tactical level to achieve carbon emission goals for refueler fleets on a strategic level. As capital investments have to be made to electrify refueler fleets, the effect on the Total Cost of Ownership for ground handlers is investigated as well. The entire model functions as an essential input for future airport design related to aircraft services.

There has been a growing interest in improving the operating efficiency of warehouses, which is one of the critical facilities used in the logistics sector. This thesis examines the impact of order characteristics on the performance of different configurations of the outbound logistics of a 3PL warehouse. A contingency approach combined with a proof of configuration method is used to answer this question. The contingency variables in this study are the order characteristics, which are uncertain for the future state of the newly built e-commerce warehouse Haaften III for Nedcargo Logistics, A third-party logistics provider in the Netherlands. Six contingency scenarios are chosen, and a model transforms them into experiments. Three different potential warehouse configuration models process these experiments, and their productivity performance is compared and analysed. Our results showed that the compactness of the layout, ABC-class-based storage and a new picking strategy, Star Aisle Batch combined with Singlepicks, provides the best productivity in each scenario. Next, between each scenario, the productivity is impacted differently. The productivity is higher if the order characteristics contain a low percentage of A-type products, the amount of colli is high, or orderlines per order are low. A change in configuration or strategy within each scenario also influences productivity differently. Lastly, it is also proved that the new proposed configuration and picking strategy can improve its current productivity by over 30%.

In 2018, the International Maritime Organization (IMO) adopted a resolution to reduce the emission of greenhouse gasses of maritime shipping in the near future. A reduction of 50% in CO2-emissions is the goal for the year 2050 in comparison to 2008. Furthermore, the peak in emissions should lie before 2025 and steadily decrease afterwards.
Low-hanging fruit regarding the reduction of emissions is operations optimization. Information-sharing about the proces status of different vessels is deemed the integrator for optimization of the port call and the reduction of vessel emissions.
This thesis focusses on the impact of increased information-sharing in the port call by the design of a preliminary model regarding port call optimization as well as a possible concept development using rolling-horizon arrival and departure scheduling. Reduction of emissions is obtained through the installment of a virtual arrival policy.
The outcome of this study shows that such a strategy indeed can result in lower emissions. This outcome was obtained based on discreet event simulation of the port call process of a large port in Australia. For the proposed rolling horizon scheduling strategy, the reduction of emissions was 16.5% but it comes at the cost of extra time in the port call.

Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) is considered an essential solution to reaching climate goals. The two main identified transport modes in CCS, pipelines and ships, are widely compared to each other in the literature. This research contributes to the literature about the evaluation of transportation modes in CCS chains, by determining to what extent electrified ships can play a role in CCS. This is not studied before. This research is executed by following the Systems Engineering approach, in particular the SIMIE process. In a proposed point-to-point network for onshore transportation, mainly general diesel-propelled barges would perform with the lowest costs per ton, whereby the distance ranges from 25 km up to 250 km. As longer the distances, more Tank-to-Wheel (TTW) emissions savings could be obtained if barge transport is electrified. Identifying the most accurate emissions reporting method and performing operational validation for modelling the transport modes and trajectories could provide the obtained results with more scientific and practical robustness.

This report details the design process of a process performance measurement system for zero-defects logistics, with a focus on process quality. The system is the result of a combination of theoretical sources and best practices found in various industries. The final design is applied on the distribution process of cut flowers at Royal FloraHolland in Naaldwijk. Calculations return the expectation that implementing the system leads to increased process quality and a decrease in financial impact of poor quality.

The Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) industry is driven by dynamic competition, globalization, and increasing pressure to improve efficiency and customer satisfaction. The increased uncertainty and complexity of coordination, result in the companies’ necessity to innovate and obtain capabilities for responsiveness and decision¬ making. Hereby, creating supply chain visibility is crucial to oppose the problems supply chain managers are dealing with. However, in many cases limited insight exists into how the right information can be collected and how to receive the right information across the supply chain that is accurate, complete, in ¬time, and of high quality. A first step towards strengthening the supply chain visibility of FMCG enterprises, is by assessing the performance of the companies’ supply chain visibility. Therefore, this study aims to design of a comprehensive support tool to assess the maturity of supply chain visibility. An extensive literature study and empirical research is executed to gain insights into the trends, complexity drivers, and critical information in the FMCG industry. Additionally, the main barriers impeding supply chain visibility were investigated. Design science as methodology is used to transform the theoretical knowledge into a digital tool as operational assessment method. This tool was developed during an iterative process existing of two separate analyses: the Visibility Maturity Scan and a Detailed Supply/Demand Visibility Analysis. Validation sessions with FMCG managers were carried out to test the practicality, overall impression, and added value of the digital tools. The managers confirmed that the tool creates awareness for critical areas, identifies critical suppliers/customers, and provides support for setting action priorities. Also, it can be used as a regular health check and benchmark of the organization over multiple years. The Visibility Maturity Scan provides grip for FMCG companies and is valuable during the project definition phase, where critical areas within the supply chain can be identified more easily. It can be placed at the website, sent by email, or used during sessions as starting point for further project proposals. The Detailed Demand/Supply Analysis provides detailed insights into the maturity of customers and suppliers in the business-to-business perspective and can be used as part of a project or detailed analysis. The tool can be used for benchmarking to a limited extent, but is more appropriate to monitor improvement processes within the same organization over time. All in all, the tool offers priorities, constraints, and implications that enterprises face in the transition towards a visible supply chain.

The global temperature is rising as a consequence of the climate change. In order to stop the further increase of the global temperature, the international community has decided to aim at reducing global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in the near future. To achieve this ambition, various alternatives in shipping need to be explored including sailing on alternative fuels.
This study investigates the consequences of sailing on alternative fuels. It is investigated which problems might occur when sailing on alternative fuels, which rules are mandatory when sailing on alternative fuels and as a consequence what the effects are on the cargo transport costs.
The problems occurring when sailing on alternative fuels are caused by the lower energy densities of these fuels, the rules and requirements with regard to the storage of some of these fuels and the shape of the storage tanks for some specific fuels. The shape and requirements regarding the fuel storage tanks can make it necessary to replace cargo for storage tanks, which will result in increased transports costs. Furthermore, the lower energy density of alternative fuels result in more fuel weight, or volume as compared to conventional fuels. In order to transport the same amount of cargo, an extra bunker stop, or taking less fuel and reducing the sailing speed, can be an option. Another option to compensate for the increased weight, or volume of the alternative fuels, is to reduce the cargo taken on board. All options will result in higher transports costs as compared to sailing on conventional fuels. To investigate how these extra costs are composed a main question has been formulated: "In a situation where the transport costs are minimized, how do the transport costs compare when sailing on various fuels with different energy densities than conventional fuels?".
To answer this main question, a model was developed. The model is suitable to calculate the transport costs in various situations. For this research, three vessel types on three operations, using seven fuel types have been analyzed.
The analyzed vessels were a container vessel, an oil tanker and an ore carrier. The chosen voyages are common voyages. The analyzed fuels are fuels which are able to achieve the goal of reducing the CO2 emission with 70% per transport work in 2050 as compared to 2008. Heavy fuel oil was used as benchmark. Based on the simulations used in the developed model it was found that: the costs of alternative fuels are higher than those of conventional fuels. Batteries are too heavy, too large and too expensive to be considered as an option, for the researched vessels and operations. The capital costs of fuel cells make that the use of fuels in combination with a fuel cell is currently expensive at higher speeds. High fuel storage costs make hydrogen currently not competitive with conventional fuels. The transport using an oil tanker are the lowest for hydrotreated vegetable oil, second lowest for ammonia in combination with an internal combustion engine and the highest for battery electric.

This research aims to determine the cost effectiveness of yacht emission reducing ret options through marginal abatement cost curves. A broad selection of five refit options is evaluated and implemented in the created tool. Using multiple scenarios by fluctuating fuel price and the implementation of hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO), the effect of fuel price and type is evaluated on multiple ship lengths. The abatements are determined in global warming potential and external cost, as well the well to wake emissions of the fuels and refitted parts. A technology overview, implementation and capitol and operational cost overview is made of the implementation of solar panels, LED lights, SCR-units, cool water waste heat recovery systems and anti-fouling. It was found that a GWP reduction of 78% and external costs reduction of 70 % is possible at an increase of fuel consumption cost of 47 % for a 54 meter yacht. In this case the main contributing factor to GWP reduction is HVO and the main external cost decrease is due to the NOx removal of the SCR-unit. Furthermore increased cost effectiveness was seen at increased fuel prices.

This study aims to develop a decision support tool which enables shipowners to select the most appropriate alternative fuel technology to comply with possible different imposed emission regulations while ensuring optimal business performance. In this context, most appropriate is defined as a fuel alternative which minimises required freight rate (RFR) while maximising overall performance on technological, environmental and other criteria. A decision support tool was devised combining a decision model based on the simple multi-attribute rating technique (SMART) with a financial model based on discounted cash-flow (DCF). Additionally, an optimisation model was implemented to optimise for minimal required freight rate through slow steaming. The decision tool provides shipowners with a quantified impact on their current business if they do not transition to alternative fuels under a 'market based measure' (MBM) regulatory scenario, as well as best-alternatives if their current fuels do not meet regulations under an 'emission cap' (EC) scenario. The decision tool is evaluated under optimistic, average and pessimistic scenarios in 2020, 2030 and 2050. Under an emission cap scenario, the results showed an overall preference for Fischer-Tropsch diesel (FTD) as the most promising alternative maritime fuel both in terms of SMART performance and required freight rate, followed by upgraded bio-oil (UBO). Nevertheless, the average difference in required freight rate of alternative fuels compared to HFO remains substantial, at 43% and 38% higher for Fischer-Tropsch diesel under a 'no regulation' scenario and 'market based measures' scenario, respectively. It is therefore evident that without regulatory intervention, heavy fuel oil is expected to retain dominance based on cost. Even under a market based measure (MBM) scenario, the average required freight rate of HFO increases only by 3.4% overall. For LNG, market-based measures lead to an average increase in RFR of 4.1%. These results suggest that in order for the maritime industry to transition towards sustainable alternative fuels, policymakers, governments, international organisations and lenders need to align their policies to collectively enable a more sustainable shipping industry - not only by enforcing stricter regulations, but also by providing the correct financial incentives.

The yacht building industry is considered an industry with a high environmental impact. Until now, the focus has not been on the impact regarding business processes of the building phase and the excess in resources that are used, ultimately not adding value to the final product. Due to emerging trends in regulations, new sustainable production processes are investigated, ensuring that forms of waste can be reduced and a circular production approach is encouraged. In this thesis, an environmental value stream mapping (EVSM) approach is used in combination with the Eco-indicator99 calculation method to map and assess the environmental impacts of production processes. The EVSM approach is known for the identification regarding improvements in production phases to ultimately propose innovations in future states. The Eco-indicator99 calculation method ensures that various environmental impacts can be related to each other through assigned Ecopoints. This thesis includes the elaboration of a case study by making use of a created methodology towards the reduction of the environmental impact at a yacht building company. Confirming the ability to identify, assess and compare forms of impact and to point out potential innovation areas. The case study supports the feasibility of the proposed EVSM approach of a structured indication and supports the reduction of the environmental impacts present, thereby improving the sustainable performance, efficient use of resources and reduction of costs.

To support Van Oord’s path towards a low-emission future fleet, this thesis has focused on the technical, environmental and economic impact of a methanol hybrid power plant design for new-build offshore working vessels (OWVs). These Dynamic-Positioning (DP) vessels are known for their large and dynamic power plants and have to limit their NOx emissions in order to comply with IMO Tier III regulation. The research objective has been to assess the cost-effectiveness of a methanol hybrid power plant solution to reduce CO2 emissions of new-build OWVs relative to other alternative fuel options. As alternative fuels, both bio-diesel and ammonia have been selected as benchmark options. Two models have been developed to find the cost-effectiveness of the methanol and benchmark power plant solutions to reduce CO2 emissions. These models are a power plant model (PPM) and a cost assessment model (CAM). The PPM consists of an engine model, a battery model and a power management model. For a specific engine type, the engine model determines the fuel consumption and emissions performance by using available engine data. Next, based on the principle of equal energy consumption and relative fuel characteristics, these fuel consumption and emission performance are adapted in order to represent methanol or one of the benchmark fuels in the selected engine type. The battery model is established in line with DP hybrid power plant requirements and the power management model acts as a connecting link to bring the engine model and battery model together on a power level. The CAM uses the PPM output to find the relationship between costs and CO2 reduction for each power plant solution. This is done by comparing the annualized Total Costs of Ownership (TCO) and the Life-Cycle (LCA) CO2 emissions of each solution with a diesel-based configuration. In this comparison, the annualized TCO consists of the yearly operational costs and annualized investments costs of each solution. The life-cycle emissions account for both well-to-tank (WTT) and tank-to-propeller (TTP) emissions of each fuel type. A case study considering the Bravenes, a flexible fallpipe vessel within the fleet of Van Oord, has been carried out to bring the developed models into practice and to provide a solution to the research objective. The technical details of this vessel have been used to create the methanol and benchmark power plant solutions which comply with both IMO Tier III and DP regulations. Next, a representative load profile of the vessel has been applied to simulate the performance of the different power plant solution for a duration of one year. Based on these simulation results, it has been found that the methanol solution has a CO2 reduction potential up to 99% and a CO2 price of 78 euro per ton CO2 reduction. This means that methanol is most cost-effective in comparison to both the bio-diesel and ammonia power plant solutions. Relative to methanol, the battery has a similar CO2 price of 79 [euro/ton CO2], but has a CO2 reduction potential of 8.5% only. To motivate Van Oord to invest in a methanol hybrid power plant solution for new-build OWVs, external or internal incentives are required to bridge the CO2 price gap between the methanol hybrid solution and a diesel-based configuration. As external incentives, the expected CO2 tax and / or subsidy for the use of advanced fuels are particularly interesting to consider for new-build investment decision in 2021 and beyond.

In the super-yacht industry, value is added by customisation of design. From an engineering perspective, standardisation contributes to working more efficiently and effectively and thus less costly. The perspective of naval architecture company C-Job is that standardisation can contribute to engineering lead time reduction. Since customisation (adding value) and standardisation (reducing costs) are counterparts, a conflict arises when both are aimed for. This thesis proposes a strategy to implement design reuse principles to answer the main research question: How can reuse of design of the non-owner spaces on super-yachts, support reduction of engineering lead time? To provide a substantiated answer to this question three topics are studied. These topics are the design process within C-Job, principles of design reuse and commonalities within existing super-yacht designs. The results of studying the three pillars of this thesis substantiate the proposed solution called the Scale-To-Order strategy. Analysing the design process at C-Job shows that a great portion is consumed by iterating the design to solve all space claim clashes and grid mismatches. Omitting space claim clashes and grid mismatches in an early stage of design would therefore eliminate a significant part of the design process. Reviewing literature on design reuse leads to suggesting the underlying principles of design standardisation, modular design and parametric design for application in the S-T-O strategy. The proposal of using these three principles is based on the commonalities that are found in existing yacht designs. The resulting strategy consists of three stages that follow the kick-off meeting with the future yacht owner. In stage one, principle solutions are chosen, based on the greatest commonalities in existing yachts, that include a typical arrangement below the main deck and a corresponding structural global model and HVAC and sewage principles and routing. In stage two, modifications to the solution chosen in stage one are made if desired. Anticipated modifications can be made modular on beforehand and new modifications can be introduced as modular in the future. Stage three is the scaling of the global model to the desired dimensions and serves as a compliance check for integrity of the model. The goal of the S-T-O strategy is to accommodate engineering lead time reduction in the design phase of super-yachts at C-Job. The expected amount of time saved by employing the strategy is roughly fifty percent of the original concept and basic design phases.

Traceability in complex ship design involves keeping track of the evolving relations between need, requirements and design. Such traceability is not fully developed in the current design process at DMO due to divisions in the design process and between design tools. This thesis proposes to use a single information model to facilitate traceability by connecting the need, requirements and design in a single database. Besides enabling traceability, such an information model can also be used to support modern modelling design tools. In the early design stage of naval vessels – the preliminary design phase – the capability, technical feasibility and affordability of a new ship are defined. Interactions between these three aspects are opaque and rely on the need for a new naval vessel and supporting requirements and preliminary design(s).
Determining the need, requirements and design is in this thesis considered to be a ‘wicked problem’. In such problems, information gained by developing solutions helps define the problem itself. However, these solutions can only be determined with a certain interpretation of the initial problem. This results in many (evolving) interactions between the need, requirements and design in the ship design process as one is needed to define the other. With the help of Systems Engineering and Requirements Engineering information and relations in a ship design process can be determined and structured. These engineering fields are widely applied, and current technology enabled the development of computer aided approaches incorporating design theory, including computer aided traceability. One of the current developments in design approaches is the introduction of model-based approaches, which creates the possibility to actively manage more relations and interactions in the design process. Model based approaches such as the Design Structure Matrix are used to visualise relations between information, and Axiomatic Design enables the decomposition and creation of complex relations. A different approach to modelling in design processes is the use of Knowledge Based Engineering. Knowledge Based Engineering field aims to capture not only the relations and interactions between information in design processes, but also ‘knowledge’ about the ‘how’ and ‘why’ in these processes. Each of these model-based developments relies on, or enables, traceability of information. However, having a program capable of supporting an information storage to support these approaches remains difficult to achieve. For this purpose, Shipbuilder software was created to support transparent storage and management of information. In this thesis, theories for modelling approaches, Systems and Requirements Engineering and the DMO design process have been combined. This resulted in one information structure, applied in the Shipbuilder application, which enables traceability. To show that the proposed information model can model a ship and supports traceability, a case study has been performed. A small model of both an S- and L-frigate has been created to show how traceability can be performed in this information model.

A design framework for the initial design of a Shop Floor Planning and Control (SFPC)system for a Maintenance, Repair & Overhaul (MRO) component supply chain has beendeveloped. It combines proven design methods developed for the control challenges presentfor MRO processes and introduces an information requirement mapping that reaches beyondthe control boundary of the SFPC system. This is achieved by integrating these with thedesign criteria for current methods for production control design. The goal was to develop adeployable production control system in the component MRO organization.The study developed the criteria for an information integrated production control by exploringa generic MRO process control function and concluded that information must be regarded anintegrated part of the control design as it drives this process and stretches from supply chainlevel, down to the shop floor. The criteria are detailed with specific information requirementsof the process. System robustness and stability must be considered when evaluating thesecriteria and deal with the lack of validated design data in the initial design phase.The framework is developed for exploration of information quality and dependencies of theprocess. It calls for graphical representation of the logistic and information flows of theprocess, before configuring the entire production control with known methods. With theselected production control configuration, the control driving information can be characterizedand improved for robust and stable parameter design, using Taguchi’s approach.In a case study valid and functional designs were generated for production control systems ingeneral. These could, however not be deployed directly due to the lack of a validated modelfor the specific performance environment. Robust and stabilizing potential are significant butalso revealed a negative correlation.The study demonstrates the importance of information modelling within complex productionsystems. It presents a structure for information requirement integration into control designof control layers. It is recommended that the framework is subjected to validation studies forspecific environments. With a development such as Industry 4.0, control in component MROsupply chains should make use of an integrated approaches over the different control layers.

The aim of this research is to create a yacht design for Feadship between 50 and 60 metres that will reduce costs and maintain the customer value. To do so, first, existing yachts are analysed to determine the requirements for the design. Second, an analysis is made of the engineering hours spend on a yacht in this range. Lastly, the engineering process is analysed to determine how the different processes affect the customer value. These three parts form the basis for the design of a modular product platform. The platform is optimised to reduce engineering hours by reusing parts of the design with little customer value and high engineering costs. The result is three platforms and eleven modules to offer the client enough customisation and still reduce the engineering costs. This thesis is made at De Voogt Naval Architects part of the Feadship group.

An increasingly dynamic and competitive market forces MRO businesses to improve on efficiency and sustainability of remanufacturing processes. Present research focus on current process states and recovery, improvement and control of process phases beyond initial design without inclusion of return quality. This research addresses a method for sustainable initial repair process design from a return quality perspective. For this purpose it introduces a return quality control model that provides repair process design guidelines. The aim of the research is to provide a foundation for automated repair process design that incorporates future states and the relation of return quality to the operational process.