Abraham Lincoln once said, “Give me six hours to chop down a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening my axe.” These famed words illustrate the value of proper planning and preparation prior to execution, a concept that Portsmouth Naval Shipyard’s (PNSY) Inside Machine Shop has applied to the development of their ground-breaking initiative.
The Inside Machine Shop (Shop 31) repairs, overhauls, and tests mechanical components. This critical work must be done with timeliness and first-time quality as the utmost priority, as any delays potentially affect the ability to complete these boats on time. However, the current production process is challenged with repeated stoppages and long periods of down-time.
When Shop 31 receives a component, mechanics create a condition report based upon their initial inspection. It is determined whether or not it needs to be ordered, or if machinists will manufacture the part themselves. Outcomes involve waiting for necessary materials, technical directions, permissions, and paperwork processing. The result is mechanics starting a job, only to be forced to stop, wait and repeat; a cycle that results in an abundance of delayed projects, frustrated mechanics, and the unfavorable loss of valuable time - a pattern Shop Superintendent Justin Orr and Code 100TO Transformation Officer Aaron Economou were inspired to change.
Supported by Nuclear Engineering and Planning Manager Steve Fahey and and Shop 31 collaborator Dr. Steven Spear, the team began brainstorming possible solutions. “We started process mapping with [Dr. Spear] and realized how much starting and stopping we were doing on jobs just waiting for material and paperwork,” said Orr. “We came up with this idea of ‘what would it look like if the mechanic had everything they could possibly need before they even received the component they were fixing?’ And so the initiative was born.”
According to Spear, this commitment to be “ready to work” became a strong test of all supporting codes. “When something necessary was not available, it was an immediate indication of a disconnect between supporting codes and the machinist. Fixing this connection ensured necessary elements were always ready when and where they were needed,” noted Spear.
The Model Line Initiative is all about creating a stronger emphasis on the preparation period prior to the start of a project, allowing time-consuming actions like paperwork processing and part orders to be completed in advance. It also includes revising the forms referenced throughout the job process, creating ‘standard work books’ with photos and diagrams for clarity, and organizing areas in the shop where parts and tools are stored to further encourage efficiency.
Late last year, Shop 31 launched a pilot project to test their model line process. Previously, the part restoration took roughly 150 days from start to finish. Astonishingly, the implementation of the model line practices shaved the project down to just 82 days. The complete restoration was done in 55% of the average overall time during the pilot.
Machinist Work Leader, Christina Jaques was among those who worked on the pilot project. “This is the first job I’ve done where I’ve felt like I had everything I needed before the job started,” she noted. Despite the undeniable success of the pilot, the team identified areas that could be improved even further – a process the team plans to continue until the maximum time-saving efficiency is achieved.
Economou and Orr are currently working with a dedicated team of support groups to scale this successful model line process to other jobs in the shop and throughout the shipyard. “Our goal in Shop 31 is to be as efficient as possible. As machinists, it’s in our DNA to reduce waste and come up with the fastest and safest ways to achieve first-time quality,” said Orr. “More efficiency throughout Shop 31 means we can get refurbished components and parts back out to the other shops so they can install them and get the boats out of the dock faster.”
| Date Taken: |
04.01.2024 |
| Date Posted: |
11.25.2024 05:56 |
| Story ID: |
485677 |
| Location: |
KITTERY, MAINE, US |
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56 |
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This work, PNSY Inside Machine Shop Pioneers The Model Line Initiative, by Hanna Lanoie, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
