This study proposes and validates a cloud-based digital production collaboration platform designed to support real-time, bidirectional information sharing between shipyards and external suppliers, with the aim of addressing structural challenges such ...
This study proposes and validates a cloud-based digital production collaboration platform designed to support real-time, bidirectional information sharing between shipyards and external suppliers, with the aim of addressing structural challenges such as labor shortages and intensifying global competition in the Korean shipbuilding industry. Although more than 50% of domestic shipbuilding production is outsourced to suppliers, the digital transformation achieved by large shipyards has not been effectively extended to their suppliers, resulting in technological disparities, fragmented information, and limited visibility across the production process. To address these challenges, this research designed an integrated cloud-based data pipeline architecture capable of flexibly collecting, integrating, and managing data from heterogeneous systems. The primary technical contribution of the proposed platform is the implementation of a hybrid data collection pipeline tailored to the diverse operational environments of suppliers, including piping, hull construction, and painting. Rather than relying on a single data acquisition method, the platform combines multiple communication protocols according to data characteristics and collection frequency, including HTTP Webhook for real-time event processing, HTTP Polling for periodic status monitoring, and RESTful APIs and OPC UA for standardized system integration and real-time equipment communication. This architecture enables seamless acquisition of both enterprise resource planning (ERP) data and real-time production and equipment data from supplier facilities without significant latency. The collected data are integrated and processed within the cloud platform to provide a unified information environment that supports real-time collaboration between shipyards and suppliers. Based on the integrated data, the platform provides key services, including real-time collaboration, production and performance visualization, intelligent production progress monitoring, and resource management. These services establish a Single Source of Truth (SSOT) that enables all stakeholders to access consistent and up-to-date production information. The validation results demonstrate that the proposed platform provides substantial qualitative benefits throughout the shipbuilding supply chain. By reducing information asymmetry, engineering changes and urgent production instructions can be immediately reflected on suppliers' shop floors, thereby eliminating unnecessary waiting time and administrative overhead while improving production flexibility. Furthermore, suppliers can monitor material availability and inventory status in real time, reducing excessive inventory and enabling more efficient production planning. At the same time, shipyards can visualize supplier performance, identify potential bottlenecks in the overall construction schedule, and proactively respond to production risks, thereby improving overall project management. The proposed cloud-based digital production collaboration platform provides an effective framework for enhancing collaboration between shipyards and suppliers through real-time information sharing and integrated data management. The hybrid data collection architecture presented in this study provides a practical technological foundation for accelerating digital transformation and establishing a collaborative smart shipbuilding ecosystem in the Korean shipbuilding industry.