Configuring ship locks using a product platform based on DSM methods

Rijkswaterstaat (RWS), the executive branch of the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, has announced that a significant number of ship locks in the Netherlands are due for renovation during the coming decades. The renovation of ship locks allows RWS to reconsider current existing preferences for lock design and to investigate options to develop a product platform for locks. This paper presents a method for the development of such a platform, based on the functions of a lock and the component alternatives to provide that function. By applying design structure matrix (DSM) modeling and value analysis methods, a ranked set of feasible lock configurations can be obtained that meets the specific requirements for a particular lock location while trading against the desired commonality in the family of locks. Preferred configuration attributes are to be incorporated in a product platform for locks to support RWS with the planned lock renovations