Photo By Daniel DeAngelis | Norfolk Naval Shipyard teammates come together for the first Focus and Finish Workshop...... read more read more
Focusing on small changes will lead to time-saving results at Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY). NNSY’s Command Transformation Office System Improvement Division (Code 100TO.2) has developed a series of Focus and Finish Mechanic Workshops (FFMW) where cross-functional stakeholders work together to streamline small-scope processes and develop action plans to prevent interruptions and better meet the shipyard mission.
The workshop series was developed after a visit to Portsmouth Naval Shipyard (PNSY) about a year ago. PNSY established the Model Line process and Code 100TO.2 is adapting it for use at NNSY as part of the FFMW series.
“The workshops are focused on identifying operational inefficiencies and collaborating for action improvements to streamline our processes,” said NNSY Code 300N Nuclear Production Manager Scott Durdle.
Durdle is the Shipyard FFMW Champion and he and his team are working to schedule a new workshop approximately every two weeks. Workshop participants from the first two sessions included NNSY, and corporate partners from PNSY, Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility (PSNS & IMF), and Pearl Harbor Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility (PHSY & IMF).
The first series of workshops included: The Vortex Freeze Seals and Half-inch Primary Globe Valve Repack. According to the workshop charters, the Vortex Freeze Seal is an essential function performed by NNSY Shop 56 to temporarily establish, localized system isolation, allowing for maintenance on fluid-filled systems without the need for a full system drain and the half-inch Primary Globe Valve Repack process restores valve reliability and ensures proper operation for submarine and carrier systems.
Durdle continued, “We are developing FFMW for upcoming nuclear work and collaborating with the other shipyards to maximize improvements to our processes. In July, we will start FFMW for non-nuclear work.”
One solution that evolved from the FFMW was a coiling machine modification to wind cables suggested by NNSY Pipefitter Shop (Shop 56) Freeze Seal Supervisor Sam Jones III.
“At the end of the job, if we have a modified coiling machine tool that’s portable and can be broken down, it will help keep our cables from being a tangled-up bird’s nest,” said Jones. “We can coil the cables in the field instead of carrying them back to the shop, rolling them out and then using the larger coiling machine that’s in our shop.”
Jones continued, “If everything is already tied up when we get back to the shop, we can just get straight testing our cable ends, tag and shelf the cables instead of having to lay them out twice.”
Streamlining the cable coiling process will provide Jones and his team with extra time to handle other tasks. Jones has been a supervisor for two years and frequently sees the challenges that tangled cables present.
The FFMW series will benefit NNSY by streamlining work processes to reduce waste, decrease process duration and develop more consistent shipyard operations. The workshops will also set new standards for processing best practices and sharing successes across the shipyards.
The workshops will also help the workforce shift mindsets towards problem-solving and produce new outcomes that will save time and money.
“We will be evaluating recommended improvements to local processes, tooling, technical work documents, local and NAVSEA requirements, materials, qualifications, and inefficient handoffs that delay non-stop execution of the mechanic on the job site,” said Durdle.
The workshops have received productive feedback and positive reviews so far. Participants appreciate the process of developing actionable items and working with stakeholders from various shops and codes which developed a greater understanding of everyone’s roles and responsibilities in the various processes. Additionally, the teams would like to see more shipyard codes represented, so there can be even more productive conversations on developing mutual solutions.
“It's identifying little things that we can go do,” said NNSY Code 100TO.2 System Improvement Division Program Analyst Rick Madeira. “The streamlined processes are just going to make the mechanics’ life easier.”
Madeira continued, “The goal is to create an improved mindset in the mechanics. So, as we go through each workshop, the participants can see their processes make an immediate impact.”
| Date Taken: | 07.01.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 07.01.2026 11:45 |
| Story ID: | 569156 |
| Location: | PORTSMOUTH, VIRGINIA, US |
| Web Views: | 27 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Focus and Finish Mechanic Workshops – Small Changes Lead to Time Saving Results, by Susanne Greene, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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