NNSY welders and engineers demonstrate continued performance excellence and cost savings

Theme: LEADERSHIP

James Golson and Tyler Deans stand in front of the shaft they welded as part of NAVSEA's Rotatable Pool.

NNSY Welders and Engineers Demonstrate Continued Performance Excellence and Cost Savings

BY ANNA TAYLOR • PUBLIC AFFAIRS SPECIALIST PHOTOS BY SHAYNE HENSLEY • NNSY PHOTOGRAPHER A team of Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY) welders and engineers completed an automated shaft weld in January, saving Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) an estimated $1.2 million in avoided cost and maintaining the shipyard’s reputation for shaft refurbishment excellence.

The shaft most recently completed is part of NAVSEA’s Rotatable Pool Program, a stock system designed to anticipate future equipment maintenance and repair needs and to provide training when there is a pause in ship-specific work.

Before NNSY adopted the automated shaft welding process, which is used for Ohio-class submarines and Nimitz-class aircraft carriers, a job that now takes less than one day would have taken two weeks to complete. In addition to the efficiency boost, NNSY’s 10 • SERVICE TO THE FLEET • MARCH 2016

Structural Group (Code 920) boasts more than 99 percent first time quality when it comes to this type of shaft welding.

“It’s about capacity and capability,” said Rick Gorman, a Welding Engineer in Code 138, the Welding Engineering and Non Destructive Test Division. “NAVSEA wants us to maximize our capacity so we can minimize external purchases. Every shaft we refurbish at NNSY saves NAVSEA a lot of money. I want people to know this is a great program. It’s money-saving, it’s automated, and it’s important because if we can’t handle the work, NAVSEA has to ship it to an outside vendor which will charge them three times as much.”

The team consisted of several new welders, including two recent apprentice program graduates, who were selected based on

demonstrated potential and specifically trained and qualified to complete the assignment. Code 138, which assists with training and production using the automated technology was also heavily involved. The two departments’ successful non-stop execution of work is attributed to a strong relationship between the engineers and welders working the job.

“It’s a process we’ve been using for 13 years, but it’s not something we do every day,” said Alisa Smith, Code 920 Process Manager. “At one point we went almost six years without doing a shaft. So it’s not like these guys get to keep their hand in it every day. It was good for all the welders involved. They really had to step up to the plate.”

In support of leadership goals and strategic alignment, Codes 920 and 138 have been working closer than ever before to ensure output goals are met. “If you don’t work together, you’re not going to perform,” explained Gorman. “We’ve got more shafting work coming up than we’ve ever seen before.”

Codes 920 and 138 will refurbish the USS Rhode Island (SSBN740) shaft later this year, which will be the first time NNSY has performed that type of work on a Trident submarine. The workload will continue to steadily increase, so the two departments have deliberately developed a partnership built on trust and accountability.

“If something does go wrong, Code 138 knows exactly what we’re doing so we can troubleshoot right there on the spot,” said Smith.

“They are familiar with the welders, so if there is a problem, both production and engineering can work together to solve it immediately.

The welders know them and they trust them.”

Above: the shaft weld completed by Shop 26 welders. Below: James Golson, Tyler Deans, Derek Metzger, and Doug Kubizna were all part of the team that completed the weld.

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