Warfare Center Command Technology Team Visits NNSY BY ANNA TAYLOR • PUBLIC AFFAIRS SPECIALIST PHOTOS BY LUKE BEASLEY • NNSY PHOTOGRAPHER
Members of the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) Warfare Centers Command Technology Team visited Norfolk Naval Shipyard June 7-9 to meet with production and engineering personnel on NNSY’s waterfront. During the visit, NAVSEA and shipyard leadership discussed ways to improve maintenance, repair, overhaul and modernization performance to ensure on-time delivery of mission-ready ships and submarines to support national security objectives. “We are looking for opportunities to bring new technologies and processes to the shipyard,” said Chris Comar, Structural Group (Code 920) Surface Ship Director. “We need to remove constraints that prevent us from effectively doing our work.” NAVSEA’s Warfare Centers provide advanced technical capabilities, facilities, and specialized expertise necessary for conducting research, development, testing and evaluation (RDT&E) of naval surface and undersea platforms and subsystems. “Current world events, combined with current fiscal constraints, require the urgent need to improve in the
16 • SERVICE TO THE FLEET • JULY 2016
maintenance and repair of our naval ships,” said Industrial Process Manager Marissa Eyon of NAVSEA’s Industrial Process Innovation Division. “Our country needs those ships doing their mission. Warfare Centers provide NAVSEA expertise on innovation to help continue on the path America's Shipyard has started. NAVSEA needs us all to collaborate to accelerate innovation.” In September 2014, then NAVSEA Commander Vice Adm. William Hilarides directed the formation of a special team of Warfare Center chief technology officers and subject matter experts to better understand naval shipyard maintenance, repair and overhaul functions. The team works to facilitate the implementation of advanced technological capabilities and business system improvements that innovate and enhance shipyard maintenance processes and human performance. “The main message is that individually, shipyards tend to struggle with the ability to see research and development efforts all the way through, because of money or resources,” Comar explained. “If we approach things from a corporate perspective, everyone benefits from it, and the proper focus is
put on specific initiatives.” The team visited Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in 2014, Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard in 2015, and will end its tour at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard later this year. The goal is to leverage technology advancements to find solutions aimed at reducing shipyard maintenance processes and overall platform costs. Through the Corporate Industrial Communities of Practice, top maintenance problems were identified by mechanics and engineers, and the Warfare Centers are partnering with the shipyards to help resolve them. According to Eyon, more than 50 ideas were generated, including Hull Inspection, Cutting, and Welding Automation; Pipe End Preparation and Inspection; Steam Cleaning; Brush Electroplating; 3-D Scanning and Training; Additive Manufacturing; and Information Technology support. “Once executed, you will see improved cycle times of work evolutions, improved first time quality, improved safety, increased morale, and cost avoidance that can be applied elsewhere,” she explained. “Our goal through this partnership is to help deliver ships on time, while NNSY continues improving in all areas, because it will take all areas innovating to deliver these complex ships on time.”
Shipyards have common and unique regional problems which impact operational performance. By visiting the four public yards, the Command Technology Team may find potential solutions to improve operations and provide new capabilities with an emphasis on critical path work that is typically high visibility, high risk, time consuming and expensive, especially for major maintenance availabilities. Comar, who spoke to the group about the importance of mechanized welding, expects to see increased interactions with the Warfare Centers as the team’s goals are further developed. “It’s important to the shipyard because the technology in a lot of our processes is very old,” he said. “The processes are robust in many regards, but with technology properly applied, we could make serious advancements.” Eyon emphasizes the importance of team learning and working together. “This partnership is just one of the many opportunities NAVSEA continues to provide,” she said. “As you approach your daily tasks with a questioning attitude, think about what could be done better. Reach out to your Code 100PI Process Improvement experts, your local Communities of Practice, the Corporate Industrial Communities of Practice, and to the Command Technology Team to help along the way.”
Below: The Command Technology Team interacts with the electroplating group during a site visit in Bldg. 1512.
JULY 2016 • SERVICE TO THE FLEET • 17