• 15 Oct 2025, 09:21 AM

How Interactive Electronic Technical Manuals (IETMs) can solve the issues of traditional paper-based manuals in shipbuilding in India

Addressing Shipbuilding Challenges with Interactive Electronic Technical Manuals (IETMs)

• Shipbuilding is one of the most complex engineering domains, involving intricate machinery, electrical systems, propulsion mechanisms, and safety-critical operations.
• Traditionally, shipbuilders have relied on paper-based manuals, which present several challenges.
• These manuals are often large, heavy, and difficult to navigate, making it cumbersome for engineers and technicians to access the required information quickly.
• Searching for a specific procedure or part number is time-consuming, leading to delays in maintenance, assembly, and repair operations. Moreover, updating paper manuals is error-prone and inefficient, as each change requires printing new pages or issuing errata sheets.
• This can result in confusion, inconsistencies, or even operational errors. Additionally, paper manuals cannot provide interactive visualizations, which are often crucial for understanding complex ship systems.

How IETMs Overcome These Limitations

1. Compact and Easily Accessible

• IETMs store all technical content digitally, making it accessible on computers, tablets, and other devices, reducing physical bulk and improving portability.

2. Fast Search and Navigation

• Advanced search and hyperlink features allow users to locate information instantly, improving efficiency during maintenance and assembly tasks.

3. Updatable and Error-Free

• Digital manuals can be updated in real-time, ensuring all personnel have access to the latest procedures and specifications, which eliminates errors caused by outdated paper manuals.

4. Interactive Learning and Visualization

• IETMs incorporate 3D diagrams, animations, images, flowcharts, hyperlinks, hotspots, cross reference and videos, allowing personnel to visualize complex systems and step-by-step processes, enhancing understanding and reducing operational mistakes.

5. Collaboration and Scalability

• Multiple teams can access the same IETM simultaneously, even from remote locations, supporting distributed shipbuilding operations and remote training.

6. Cost and Time Efficiency

• Eliminates printing, storage, and distribution costs of physical manuals while accelerating training, maintenance, and production cycles.

Conclusion

• Shipbuilding is a complex and highly technical process, involving sophisticated machinery, propulsion systems, electrical networks, and safety-critical operations. Traditionally, shipbuilders have relied on paper-based manuals, which often pose significant challenges.
• These manuals are bulky, difficult to handle, and time-consuming to search, leading to delays in assembly, maintenance, and repair.
• Updating them is also cumbersome, requiring reprints or errata sheets, which can create confusion or inconsistencies. Furthermore, paper manuals cannot provide interactive visualizations, which are essential for understanding complex ship systems. 

How Interactive Electronic Technical Manuals (IETMs) Solve Challenges of Traditional Paper-Based Manuals in Shipbuilding in India

• Interactive Electronic Technical Manuals (IETMs) address these limitations effectively. By digitizing content, IETMs are compact, easily accessible, and portable, allowing personnel to access information on computers, tablets, or other devices.
• Advanced search functions enable quick navigation, ensuring that engineers and technicians can locate procedures, diagrams, or part numbers instantly. IETMs can be updated in real-time, guaranteeing that all personnel work with the latest specifications and operational instructions.
• Additionally, IETMs integrate 3D diagrams, animations, simulations, and videos, providing an interactive learning experience that enhances understanding and reduces errors.
• They also allow simultaneous access by multiple teams, supporting remote training and collaboration, while eliminating the logistical and cost challenges of printing and distributing paper manuals.
• In conclusion, IETMs modernize shipbuilding documentation in India by making it interactive, updatable, searchable, and accessible, thereby improving efficiency, safety, accuracy, and overall productivity in shipbuilding operations.

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Frequently Asked Questions

When do we need IETM – 3 and IETM – 4?

• It depends on your client’s requirement. General practice is, IETM level 3/Class 3 is used when documents are less, i.e. below 5000. When documents are more, IETM -4 is required.
• Having said that, we have also done 5000 Pages IETM Level 4/Class 4 or Level 5/Class 5 and 6000 pages Level 3/Class 3.
• It completely depends on the Client. If your system is small, you can convince them to go for IETM level 3/Class 3.

Who to write technical user manual?

Define your audience, structure with TOC, step-by-step instructions, visuals, troubleshooting tips, and use clear language.