TRIREFFAC Work Packaging Support Office: A Quality Asset to the Fleet

Photo By Keith Boydston | U.S. Navy Petty Officer Second Class John Wiegand, a member of the TRIDENT Refit Facility Work Package Control Group team, studies schematic drawings of various ship’s systems as part of the tag-out review and approval process.  

UNITED STATES

11.06.2019

Story by Keith Boydston 

TRIDENT Refit Facility - Kings Bay

KINGS BAY, Ga. – In an effort to save time and help the nuclear-submarine fleet efficiently prepare for refit and other critical maintenance periods, the TRIDENT Refit Facility (TRIREFFAC) opened a new support office convenient to where off-crews live and work.

An extension of the TRIREFFAC Work Packaging Control Group (WPCG) waterfront office, the satellite office operates out of the Pre-Deployment Training Building (PDTB) on Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base, a building many submarine off-crew members call home when their boats are deployed.

Established in less than 30-days from concept to its grand opening May 10, 2019, the primary focus of the new office is to assist submarine crews plan for maintenance periods while their boats are still at-sea, and to prepare Work Authorization Forms (WAFs) and critical danger tag-outs for systems and equipment.

Staffed by rotating teams of senior TRIREFFAC civilian technicians and Sailors, they work side-by-side with submarine off-crews to navigate the tag-out procedures before boats arrive for refit or other repair cycles.
The satellite office is a value added asset to the fleet.

“It’s a better quality and less stressed environment for the tag-out process,” said Joseph Yates, a senior TRIREFFAC work control technician. “Since we are looking at these systems before the boat arrives, we are not pushed by a production schedule and we improve the quality of our look.”

Some important areas of focus for the office include: verification of scheduled work, a schematic drawings review of the targeted systems for tag-out, and setting the conditions for maintenance when the boat arrives.

“We save a lot of time … it’s like preseason football,” Yates said. “We try and work out all the kinks ahead of time, and when the season begins, or in this case, when the boat arrives for refit, we’re ready to go.”

Customers are pleased with the location and convenience the office provides.

"It’s phenomenal and it’s located in a prime spot,” said Cmdr. Jared Wyrick, commanding officer of the USS West Virginia. “There’s so much capability and help available for our crew.”

As a direct result of the new office, 40 to 90 percent of all tag-outs are approved and ready when the ship comes in for its maintenance period.

The close coordination between TRIREFFAC and the submarine crews has also resulted in more pre-planned work ready to execute sooner during a refit/maintenance period, and it has significantly improved the overall process efficiency.

"This is truly a Team Kings Bay effort with the full support of our leaders and partners,” said Capt. Paul Dinius, commanding officer of the TRIDENT Refit Facility. “I am encouraged by the positive results, and we’ll continue to learn and further optimize this process to measure our progress and success going forward.”

• Date Taken: 11.06.2019
• Date Posted: 01.15.2020 08:05
• Story ID: 359230
• Location: US