Problem
Having a tool that will allow the project team to minimize resource usage based on costs to the project is a challenge. Typically project management solutions do not have the ability to optimize based on the cost criteria.
Some operations, such as shipbuilding, are very labor-intensive and require relatively skilled and expensive labor. For example, approximately 30% of the cost of a new ship is labor and most existing scheduling systems are not designed to improve the overall efficiency of labor utilization. Billions of dollars are consequently wasted annually in complex, large-scale shipyard operations due to the limitations of existing planning and scheduling methods. These methods consist of 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.
Solution
The ARGOS® Optimization Suite is a set of applications built upon OTS proprietary optimization technology that provide dramatically improved schedules for all major resource intensive types of projects such as plant turnarounds and capital projects in a confined work space such as offshore platforms, ship buidling and aircraft maitenance to name a few.
ARGOS® is a shipyard schedule optimization tool by On-Time Systems (OTS) that is intended to work in tandem with project management and project scheduling systems, such as Primavera P5/P6. 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.
ROI
The ARGOS® Optimization Suite can help reduce labour costs by as much as 10% through better resource utilization (less overtime and less idle time). It also improves the likelihood that the schedule can be executed as designed, while determining the optimal workforce size as a project progresses.
Emerald’s Experience
Emerald has used ARGOS with several turnaround clients.
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On Time Systems 
