Arthur G.

Idulsa BSME V-A

Introduction

ME 521, having a desriptive title of “Plant Visit” is a course under the Mechanical

Engineering curriculum. This course is mandated to be taken as per Commission on Higher

Education as part of the bachelor’s degree of mechanical engineering students. Prior to

graduation, mechanical engineering students are subject to accomplish a set of plant tours. Under

the Commision on Higher Education memorandum, mechanical engineering students must take

at least 8 visits of different plants. Location of the plant industry to be visited might be in town or

in a city, or it might be as well be taken in other regions of the Philippines. As long as the

company is accepting a plant visit activity for students, specifically mechanical engineering

students and in line with the mechanical engineering field as well, any plant will do and is

possible to be visited. ME 521, Plant Visit course is one of the requirements among any other

courses of Mechanical Engineering curriculum that must be completed for a mechanical

engineering student be recommended for graduation with the degree of “Bachelor of Science in

Mechanical Engineering”. Failure to accomplish and pass the ME 521 Plant Visit course under

any circumstances is hold upon as being a candidate of graduating students in Mechanical

Engineering department.

With regards to the confirmation and approval of the company that they permit the

students to take a visit of their workplace, they must also take a part in sharing some information

towards the students. On the other way around, students must always be in accordance with the

company’s rules and policies they will be visiting. This is a way taken to ensure the safety of

everyone involved in the plant visit activity. One of which is that students must bring with them

the prescribed personal protective equipments as what required by the company. Students must
also abide the rules as what the superior of the activity is imposing. Meeting each other’s

requirements, both in the company and the visitors or students end, plant visit activity will be

efficient and smooth pace will be achieved.

Plant visits or plant tours are conducted only once in the whole period of the five-year

degree of “Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering” and so, it must be a wholesome and

memorable activity. We may not be part of the company or we may not be working in the

company we have visited in the near future, but the observations and the knowledge acquired

during the visit would be a great help for a student’s capacity of knowledge to widen though.

Plant Visit course is not a luxury activity to enjoy for mechanical engineering students, this is an

activity where we will observe what is happening inside a plant. Not only to tour around and

witness acts but also, it is a good opportunity to observe different operations done, and get more

information of the processes involved in manufacturing an output. Knowing these things is like

putting oneself with an edge to be part of a company in line with one’s field of specialization.

This would serve as a minimal asset of background as a mechanical engineering graduate in the

near future.

ME 521 Plant Visit course plays an important role for mechanical engineering students. It

gives the mechanical engineering students the opportunity to have a visual concept of what is

really happening inside a plant industry. In the university we are into, we are thought of different

processes of a usual kind of plant is having, some industrial or plant equipments and some

workplace matters at large. In other words, we already have a grasp of knowledge pertaining to

the happenings and processes inside plant. Moreover, this implies that we, at the stage of our

bachelor’s degree, are equipped more on theoretical aspect of education concerning our field

which is mechanical engineering field. This theoretical aspect we are having may be a great help
during conducting a visit in a particular plant. The plant visit activity will also be an opportunity

for us to broaden our knowledge about the industrial and engineering field, specifically about the

mechanical field. Acquiring lots of information by means of asking questions is the simplest

thing we could do to comprehend with the operators and workers of a certain visited company.

Being able to comprehend will be beneficial for an observer, such as students. Beneficial in a

way that it is an additional wisdom for us and also we would know the scenes behind some of the

mostly used products in our daily life. Not just knowing why it was made, but the main point is

how they are really made for its specific purpose.

Therefore, ME 521 Plant Visit is highly appreciated that it has been part of the

Mechanical Engineering curriculum. Indeed, plant visit activity further nurtures the student’s

capability as a mechanical engineering student and of course, as a mechanical engineer at the

very soonest.
 PLANT TOUR

TSUNEISHI HEAVY INDUSTRIES CEBU INC.

Company Name : Tsuneishi Heavy Industries Cebu

Inc.

Address : West Cebu Industrial Park-SEZ, Buanoy, Balamban, 6041 Cebu

Business : Shipbuilding and repair

Employees : Approximately 13,000

Shipyard Area : Approximately 1,470,000 square meters

Main Facilities : Two building slipways, one building dock, 1,300-ton floating crane,

etc.

Company Overview and History

Tsuneishi Heavy Industries (Cebu), Inc. engages in shipbuilding, ship repair, and

manufacturing outfittings for ships and vessels. The company provides engineering and

fabrication services. It ships medium sized vessels, including bulk carriers, and pure car and
truck carriers from the town of Balamban, Cebu in the central Philippines to markets worldwide.

The company was founded in 1992 and is based in Cebu, the Philippines. Tsuneishi Heavy

Industries (Cebu), Inc. operates as a subsidiary of Tsuneishi Group and Aboitiz Group. From an

initial workforce of 8 engineers in 1992, TTSP has grown its technical manpower into over 400

employees and expects continued growth in the coming years as it positions itself into becoming

the globally preferred technical service provider of high quality detail and production designs

with competitive cost. Moreover, it also offers clients more flexibility in the upstream and

downstream side of design process by on-time delivery just when they need it.

Tsuneishi Technical Services (Phils.) Inc. [or TTSP for short] was established in 1992 as

an off-shore Ship Design Center to complement the capabilities of Tsuneishi Shipbuilding

Company, Limited in Hiroshima, Japan. It is a detail engineering and Production Design

company which serves primarily the manufacturing, fabrication and construction needs of

shipyards within the Tsuneishi Group primarily in the Philippines as well as in Japan and in

China but at the same it is also open to opportunities of serving the non-captive markets.

From an initial workforce of 8 engineers in 1992, TTSP has grown its technical

manpower into over 400 employees and expects continued growth in the coming years as it

positions itself into becoming the globally preferred technical service provider of high quality

detail and production designs with competitive cost. Moreover, it also offers clients more

flexibility in the upstream and downstream side of design process by on-time delivery just when

they need it.

With its mixed pool of junior and senior engineers, TTSP aims to maximize its multi-

CAD platform (2D and 3D) capabilities. By continually investing in the latest CAD softwares,

TTSP is kept abreast with the current technological trends. Along this line, the company has
registered with the Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) under IT Category, considering

its IT Enabled Services and technical knowledge-based operations.

Produced Ships

DWT 180,000T Type Bulk Carrier 5,100 Units Pure Car and Truck Carrier

DWT 28,000T Type Bulk Carrier DWT 23,000T Type Bulk Carrier

DWT 52,000T Type Bulk Carrier DWT 45,000T Type Bulk Carrier
Candidate Materials

 Carbon fiber reinforced polymer

Carbon fiber reinforced polymer, carbon fiber reinforced plastic or carbon

fiber reinforced thermoplastic, is an extremely strong and light fiber-reinforced

plastic which contains carbon fibers.

 Steel

Steel is an alloy of iron and carbon and other elements. Because of its high

tensile strength and low cost, it is a major component used in buildings,

infrastructure, tools, ships, automobiles, machines, appliances, and weapons.

 Titanium Alloy

Titanium alloys are metals that contain a mixture of titanium and other

chemical elements. Such alloys have very high tensile strength and toughness

(even at extreme temperatures). They are light in weight, have extraordinary

corrosion resistance and the ability to withstand extreme temperatures.

 Aluminium Alloy

Aluminium alloys are alloys in which aluminium is the predominant

metal. The typical alloying elements are copper, magnesium, manganese, silicon,

tin and zinc.

Process Flow Diagram

Planning/Design Steel Processing Hull Fabrication Pre-Outfitting

Accommodation
Hull Erection Launching Hull OutfittingS
Loading

Sea Trial Delivery

I. Planning / Design

The main purpose of using 3D software in the designing is to be able to

accurately define each detailed part of the vessel in order to avoid mistakes such

as inconsistency of adjacent parts and difficulty in production process.

II. Steel Processing

The construction of a hull involves complex works equipped with advance

technologies. (Shot Blasting, NC Cutting, Heat Bending)

III. Hull Fabrication

The shaped steel plates are then passed to the fabrication shops where they

are assembled into units and parts the fabricated as hull block.
IV. Pre-Outfitting

Outfitting techniques are used to produce more complex units already

equipped with pipes and other fittings.

V. Hull Erection

Prefabricated blocks are transferred to the building berth to form the hull

of the ship. Transfer may be made by crane or special vehicle (e.g. Kamag block

carrier). Portable automatic electric arc welding machines and manual electric arc

welding are then used to assemble the units.

VI. Accommodation Loading

The whole Accommodation of the ship has five storeys and each is

fabricated separately with its interior. Then, it will be loaded into the vessel by a

floating crane before launching.

VII. Launching

At an appropriate stage, normally after the completion of the hull and

superstructure and the installation of some of the plant and machinery, the ship

will be launched. Christening is often conducted after the launching.

VIII. Hull Outfitting

After the launching, the ship enters the outfitting phase. This is the time

when there is a great deal of activity installing and protecting a considerable

amount of plant and equipment.

IX. Sea Trial

Before the ship will be delivered to its owner, it must undergo sea trial

during which shipyard workers go onboard to engage testing of all parts of the

ship to ensure that everything is satisfactorily operational.

X. Delivery

After a ceremony at the bridge of the ship, with the entire owner's

excellent assessment, the ship will sail out from her maiden voyage going to its

homeport. Delivered ships are guaranteed of its superior performance and quality.
 Visit Observations

Tsuneishi Heavy Industries Cebu Inc.has a large area of land including their production

area. Because of this, we haven’t get the chance to really take a look and roam around their

production area. Nevertheless, we still managed to gather some observations in their workplace.

With their vision that they will be globally-preferred technical service provider of timely,

cost-effective and high quality engineering designs consistent with its slogan, “Designing

Beyond Borders” by 2020, Tsuneishi Heavy Industries Cebu Inc. continues to sails forward in

producing high quality ships to its customers. The dedication in providing drawings and plans to

the best of their ability, and ultimately, carving its name through quality and excellence in the

global environment. Delighting their customers continuously with their strengthened brand

equity and technical service through their competitive quality, cost-efficiency and on-time

delivery. We have observed that all of them are committed with every job they are mandated to

do so. Each member shows unity with other members by sharing skills and resources for the

attainment of common goals. In Tsuneishi Heavy Industries Cebu Inc., everyone is a leader in his

own right. A leader unites individual with various interests and brings out the best in people and

encouraging everyone to participate and contribute to company undertakings. A feeling of

support is nurtured in the ups and downs of one's stay in the organization.

Good quality and on-time delivery are the main demands of their customers. In order to

be competitive in the global arena, they should never be contented at the current state of things

and always strive to produce the best outputs with the given resources. Bound with all these

values that they have continued to share and commit, Tsuneishi Heavy Industries Cebu Inc.

experiences dominantly the success they have always wanted through the years. Keeping in line

with their slogan which is “Designing Beyond Borders”, they will continue to sail and progress
more in the global market. And all these attainments are possible with the teamwork of everyone

that is part of the growing family of Tsuneishi Heavy Industries Cebu Inc.

Visit Experience

I have learned that there are materials’ issues relating to the construction of ship. These

are strength, weldability, toughness, marine corrosion, formability and the cost.

Remarks

It was highly appreciated the effort of our attending tour guide inside the area of

Tsuneishi Heavy Industries Cebu Inc. in sharing some of the processes involved in shipbuilding.

We are lucky enough to conduct a plant tour activity in their company. A company that is very

successful in every way, globally and in the marketing aspect.