  As a result of the progressive implantation of the Industry 4.0 paradigm,
many industries are experimenting a revolution that shipyards cannot ignore.
Therefore, the application of the principles of Industry 4.0 to shipyards are
leading to the creation of Shipyards 4.0. Due to this, Navantia, one of the 10
largest shipbuilders in the world, is updating its whole inner workings to keep
up with the near-future challenges that a Shipyard 4.0 will have to face. Such
challenges can be divided into three groups: the vertical integration of
production systems, the horizontal integration of a new generation of value
creation networks, and the re-engineering of the entire production chain,
making changes that affect the entire life cycle of each piece of a ship.
Pipes, which exist in a huge number and varied typology on a ship, are one of
the key pieces, and its monitoring constitutes a prospective cyber-physical
system. Their improved identification, traceability, and indoor location, from
production and through their life, can enhance shipyard productivity and
safety. In order to perform such tasks, this article first conducts a thorough
analysis of the shipyard environment. From this analysis, the essential
hardware and software technical requirements are determined. Next, the concept
of smart pipe is presented and defined as an object able to transmit signals
periodically that allows for providing enhanced services in a shipyard. In
order to build a smart pipe system, different technologies are selected and
evaluated, concluding that passive and active RFID are currently the most
appropriate technologies to create it. Furthermore, some promising indoor
positioning results obtained in a pipe workshop are presented, showing that
multi-antenna algorithms and Kalman filtering can help to stabilize Received
Signal Strength (RSS) and improve the overall accuracy of the system.
