MARCH 2010 Daffodil Days - Another Sign of Spring Christine Dickson (275), left, Patricia Furlong (275) and Diane Tatro (452) were among the 30 Electric Boat employees at Groton who sold daffodils to raise money for the American Cancer Society. In this year’s fundraiser, Groton employees con- tributed $13,580, maintaining the company’s position as one of the event’s top participants in Connecticut. Lisa Trolan (605) and Donna Havrilla (601) were the event’s co-chairwomen at Electric Boat. INSIDEINSIDE 5S Success – Three Years And Strong Submarine New Hires • 7 General Dynamics Announces Counting • 2 Industrial Base Is Critical • 4 Senior Leadership Changes • 10 Health Matters • 8/9 Heebner Frames Shipbuilding Issues Retirees • 6 Service Awards • 11 At Congressional Hearing • 3 Ethics • 10 Marine Contract Roundup • 6 Safety Performance • 12 From left, Supervisor Jim Bourne, Phil Rogers, Mark Schleicher and Bob Aiello in the Metallurgical Lab. cluded, workflow and process efficiencies have improved. “Processes have been streamlined to reduce the amount of motion by the employee. We are no longer bumping into things or straining to lift items, and things don’t get lost,” said Aiello. 5S Success – Three Years And Counting Both technicians pointed out that the event enables them to easily maintain arch 26, 2010 marks a mile- neering how they expected to ‘5S’ the and sustain a level of cleanliness, safety stone for employees working lab in five days, when there was 50 years and organization that was previously dif- Min the Metallurgical Labora- of stuff in there! They (Process Engi- ficult to achieve. Due to the training they tory, located in Groton’s Robinson neering) responded that the first five received during the event, employees Building. days (or the first four Ss) were the easy have the tools and mindset required to Just over three years ago, Robert part. The fifth S – Sustain – would be move forward with the 5S journey and Scheel, VP – Quality, initiated a major the most difficult.” continuously improve their work envi- cleanup of the Metallurgy Laboratory On Jan. 26, 2007, the 5S event began ronment. Aiello commented, “We know using Lean 5S techniques and results are with three goals – improve cleanliness, what it’s like to work in a less than desir- still being realized. 5S is a methodology safety and work efficiency in the lab. able environment; we don’t ever want to designed to put things in order, place When the event concluded a week go back to that again.” them so they can be easily reached, and later, more than 1,000 pounds of scrap Bourne said he regularly notices keep them clean and in working order. It steel, 200 pounds of photo negatives, employees wiping down surfaces, and also generates pride and adherence to seven filing cabinets, four document bins, cleaning their area – sometimes twice a standards that help sustain an orderly seven boxes of environmentally sensitive day. As he observed, “It’s nice to see the working environment. material and three boxes of household place kept clean and neat.” Scheel began the month-long process wastes had been removed. To provide some third-party perspec- of planning and coordinating the week- A broken eyewash station and a dam- tive, Schleicher relayed the story of a long 5S effort by working with Bob aged emergency shower were tagged for prospective new hire who had recently Peirce, his management team in the repair, yellow striping was added to the toured the lab. The interviewee remarked Robinson Building and the Lean Six floors to indicate walking areas, and that it was the best- looking lab she had Sigma Process Engineering group. handrails around machinery were ever seen. As Jim Bourne, Materials Engineering painted yellow for visibility. In addition, For the employees in Metallurgical supervisor, recalled, “Mr. Scheel asked access to electrical panels was improved Lab, that said it all. me to come over to discuss a new venture and stairways leading to lab equipment The 5S team recognized the following using Lean 5S. He said my lab would be were cleared of clutter. employees for their support of the proj- the very first to try this new approach. Three years and three months later, ect: Frank Dias, Paul Williams, Bill “I know a lot of words that begin with Bourne and his crew are sustaining the Bonang, Mike Gentile, Mike Reynolds, S, but I had never heard of 5S,” quipped 5S effort, and still realizing results. Mike Street, Rick Kowlaski, Jim New- Bourne. “The level of pride and ownership is man and Ben Edwards. When asked if he had concerns, unbelievable,” said Scheel. “These For more information about 5S please Bourne replied, “I was very apprehensive employees have taken ownership of their visit the Improvement Initiatives website at first. Process Engineering provided me environment and are continuously located on the EB homepage, or check with a description of how the 5S improving it. This is by far the most out this link: methodology would be used, which was impressive sustained effort of a 5S event https://www.ebnet.gdeb.com/home- daunting to say the least. My primary I’ve seen at Electric Boat,” he said. pages/projects/contimp/pages/GBMod- concern was the velocity at which this Lab technicians Bob Aiello and Mark ules.html (Lesson 16). would be executed. I asked Process Engi- Schleicher noted that since the 5S con- 2 I March 2010 I ELECTRIC BOAT NEWS Heebner Frames Shipbuilding Issues At Congressional Hearing EDITOR’S NOTE: David Heebner, executive vice ning Yard sustains 80 percent of the Coast designing, building and repairing president of General Dynamics Marine Systems, Navy’s active surface combatant fleet. large vessels for the US Navy and com- testified earlier this month before the House Bath Iron Works offers the full range of mercial customers. The shipyard employs Armed Services Committee’s Seapower and surface combatant Engineering, Design, approximately 4,500 engineers, designers, Expeditionary Forces Subcommittee. His testi- Production and Life-Cycle support serv- and skilled shipbuilding craftspeople, plus mony follows. ices. BIW plays a key economic role in 1,000 long-term, on-site subcontractor Maine as it is Maine’s largest single-site partners supporting the shipyard. This y objectives today are to, private employer with over 5,600 highly makes NASSCO the largest industrial first, provide an introduction skilled engineers, designers and ship- manufacturer in the San Diego area and to General Dynamics M builders having, on average, over 20 years a strategic resource for the Navy in Marine Systems shipyards, and then, as of ship design and construction experi- Southern California. NASSCO personnel you requested in your invitation letter, ence. BIW is currently building DDG 51 provide critical skills for the design and comment on the effect the Navy’s 30-year Class destroyers and DDG 1000 Class construction of US Navy Auxiliary ships shipbuilding plan will have on industrial destroyers. as well as modern commercial ships for base capacity, workforce stability, and US domestic trade. In addition, economies of scale. Electric Boat NASSCO provides important ship repair Electric Boat Corporation, headquar- services for the Navy – a vital role as San Introduction to General Dynamics tered in Groton, Connecticut, and with Marine Shipyards Diego has the West Coast’s largest con- major facilities at Quonset Point, Rhode General Dynamics Marine Systems centration of Navy ships. NASSCO is Island, has been designing and building currently building the T-AKE 1 LEWIS business segment comprises Bath Iron submarines for the U.S. Navy since 1899. AND CLARK Class Dry Cargo/Ammu- Works, located in Bath, Maine; Electric Starting with the first nuclear submarine, nition ships and a series of commercial Boat, located in Groton, Connecticut and the USS Nautilus, Electric Boat has double-hulled Product Carriers. Quonset Point, Rhode Island; and delivered 101 of the U.S. Navy’s 199 NASSCO is designing the Mobile National Steel and Shipbuilding Com- nuclear submarines. Landing Platform, a ship that will pro- pany, or NASSCO, located in San Diego, Electric Boat designed and built the vide enhanced sea basing capabilities California. Combined, these shipyards lead ship for 16 of the 19 classes of across the full range of military opera- employ nearly 22,000 people. The group nuclear submarines, and has designed the tions. Production of the MLP will start designs, builds and supports submarines, propulsion plant for all but one class. in 2011. surface combatants, and auxiliary ships Today at Electric Boat there are over The primary objective at General for the United States Navy, and commer- 10,000 engineers, designers, and crafts- Dynamics’ three shipyards is to provide cial ships for U.S.-Flag customers. men, focused on the design, construction, the Navy quality ships that achieve fleet and life cycle support of nuclear sub- Bath Iron Works performance requirements and are the best marines for the U.S. Navy and its allies. possible value to the American taxpayer. Bath Iron Works, located on the Ken- Almost 1,000 more employees are nebec River in Bath, Maine since 1884, engaged in various other shipbuilding Navy’s 30-Year Shipbuilding Plan delivered its first ship to the United States work, including aircraft carrier propul- (FY11) Navy in 1893. Since then, BIW has built sion plant design and naval combatant When I last testified before this com- more surface combatants than any other design and engineering. Electric Boat is mittee in July 2009, I mentioned three U.S. shipyard, delivering over 400 vessels, currently building Virginia Class sub- aspects that have direct and substantial including 242 military ships as well as a marines. impact on our shipyards’ ability to variety of commercial vessels and private achieve that goal.