ARC Services (Veteran Owned)’s Post

First Boeing, now Newport News Shipbuilding! It seems like critical American industries, and certainly some workers and supervisors, don’t give a damn about the quality of their output, even for national defense. We would have lost World War 2 with this level of malfeasance, profiteering, greed, laziness, and general “ehhhh” in manufacturing. Shame! “Earlier this year, quality assurance teams at Newport News discovered the sub-standard welds and reported the violations in procedure to both the Navy and the Department of Justice, according to a Friday statement on LinkedIn by Newport News president Jennifer Boykin. “We recently discovered that the quality of certain welds on submarines and aircraft carriers under construction here at NNS do not meet our high-quality standards. Most concerning is that some of the welds in question were made by welders who knowingly violated weld procedures.” she wrote. “We immediately put together a team made up of both internal and independent engineering and quality subject matter experts to determine the root causes, bound the issue and put in place immediate short-term corrective actions as we work through longer-term solutions.” (Some of which could take years, based on prior incidents)! #shipbuilding #newportnews #usnavy #submarines #aircraftcarriers #welding #welders #congress #investigation #nationalsecurity #nationaldefense

RECONSTITUTE THE MERCHANT MARINE - Want to Revitalize American Shipbuilding? Change the Shift Schedule - The inspiration we should look for is not a “miracle,” but rather a slow progressive increase in production efficiency coupled with nurturing the labor force to ensure labor issues are also resolved. - - How to return to WWII production pace in an unsure geopolitical environment that requires ever more ships? The first step should not be asking where can we produce more and spending resources, but rather asking how can current facilities be operated at the maximum efficiency? This article forwards a proposal based on a return to around the clock production, modified to meet the needs of all stakeholders. The 8-2-4-10 modified Dupont schedule could increase shipyard productivity in the short-term to levels needed, once an adjustment period associated with an initial learning curve is overcome. The inspiration we should look for is not a “miracle,” but rather a slow progressive increase in production efficiency coupled with nurturing the labor force to ensure labor issues are also resolved. This is potentially a radical solution that may ultimately be unpalatable but should start the conversation in a direction that emphasizes reinforcing current production, rather than spending a generation waiting on another Miracle of Production.

While I love the citation of Manitowoc, I went to high school near there, the suggestions seem overly complex. Mars ran 24/7 with four shifts, each one 12.5 hours long with overtime, per federal law, after 8 hours AND a 10% hourly premium if you punched in on-time. The biggest side effect was speeding tickets as workers fought LA's horrendous traffic trying to get their 10%. The schedule was four days on, 3 days off, 3 days on and four days off. There was no night shift premium. If days were your thing, you could shift to days as positions opened up using your seniority rights. Far less people did than expected. A 6-6:30 shift worked for most in a lot of different ways. Contrary to most human factors literature, night shifts normally outproduced, usually by substantial margins, day shifts. One of the reasons was the educational level was significantly higher on night shifts. Of course, this would be difficult to reproduce in areas with progressive district attorneys these days as most retail businesses have abandoned 24/7 operations since they no longer prosecute late-night looting, thereby forcing stores to close early even though there's plenty of workers on-site in the middle of the night. I used to do most of my shopping in the middle of the night at mass retailers like Home Depot, a once critical all-night resource to Hollywood and factories, Walmart and Ralphs.

Faulty welding - Newport News Shipbuilding President Jennifer Boykin said the shipyard was taking swift action. “Today, I have very serious and disappointing news to share with you. We recently discovered that the quality of certain welds on submarines and aircraft carriers under construction here at NNS do not meet our high-quality standards. Most concerning is that some of the welds in question were made by welders who knowingly violated weld procedures. Forrtunately, this issue was brought to light by shipbuilders who did the right thing and came forward by either self-reporting or calling the HII OpenLine. I thank them for their honesty and bravery. We have to remember our nation depends on us to deliver the highest quality ships, as do the moms, dads, spouses and children of our Navy sailors who live aboard them. Let me be clear: we do not tolerate any conduct that compromises our company’s values and our mission of delivering ships that safeguard our nation and its sailors. Once our investigation confirmed the validity of these reports, we immediately put together a team made up of both internal and independent engineering and quality subject matter experts to determine the root causes, bound the issue and put in place immediate short-term corrective actions as we work through longer-term solutions. We also notified the Department of Justice, our shipbuilding partner, Navy customer, and regulators, and are providing them with regular updates to ensure transparency and alignment. I cannot over stress that individual actions and behaviors either strengthen – or weaken – our ethical culture in an instant. Every choice you make as a shipbuilder has long lasting impact. Ask for help when you are unsure. And speak up if you see questionable behavior or actions by others. Speak to your supervisor or report it, 24/7, through the HII OpenLine by calling 1-877-631-0020. Our company was founded 138 years ago on the promise of quality – of always accomplishing our work the right way. This is our legacy to protect. We will fix this. We will learn from it. We will come back stronger.” See https://lnkd.in/gq8hPk6J #AUKUS Michael Sharpe

Independent quality control is ever so important.

As a baby boomer and US citizen who has witnessed the progress in manufacturing technology in the private sector, I am worried about how the pursuit of more profits has impacted our defense. It is important to prioritize the safety and security of our country, and we must ensure that the pursuit of profits does not come at the expense of our national defense. Let's work together to find a balance between innovation and protection. However, the Defense Sector needs to be open to accept change and reduce the onboarding time of new technologies with appropriate testing funds that will allow defense contractors to automate, integrate laser cutting, cleaning, cladding, brazing, drilling, welding, marking, with fastening, painting, inspecting and other tasks used in metal forming and kit assembling. There is a reason why more industrial companies choose to stay commercial. #NationalDefense #ManufacturingTechnology #USCitizens #materialhandling #laserremoval #advancedmanufacturing #lasercleaning #laserweldingmachine

Shipbuilding is manufacturing! How does a small country become recognized for its shipbuilding? It prioritizes it and the suppliers in the chain that creates world class shipbuilding. Wake up America! https://lnkd.in/eKzcsDph #madeinusa #manufacturing #economy2024 #election2024

Good in depth read about South Korea’s foray into U.S. shipbuilding. The lesson I would take for Guam as we pursue establishing ship repair capability is the need to establish a broad market that goes beyond a simple dependence on DOD and ensures commercial, research and other work in order to be viable and outlast the policy whiplash that closed it down in the first place.

Exciting news from EOS, Phillips Federal, and Austal USA: they've developed a copper-nickel (CuNi) material for the U.S. Navy Submarine Industrial Base (SIB), designed for laser powder bed fusion (LPBF) industrial additive manufacturing (AM). Meeting UNS C96400 specifications, this material offers exceptional corrosion resistance in saltwater and sustains performance in low temperatures, making it ideal for marine applications. The collaboration enables regional, local, and on-demand production, reducing global supply chain disruptions. EOS CopperAlloy CuNi30, boasting high strength and ductility, meets ASTM B369-09 standards and significantly lowers manufacturing costs compared to traditional casting methods. This achievement underscores EOS's commitment to advancing additive manufacturing capabilities in critical sectors like naval construction, benefiting national interests with supply chain efficiencies and accelerated lead times. https://lnkd.in/g4_YmRJH

But... we produced more drag queens AND we updated and infused dozens and dozens of DoD and Service Level Orders and Directives with proper pronoun and gender guidance with a sense of urgency and purpose not seen since the Manhatten Project. Boom! Wait.. theres more! We are lightyears ahead in DEI / ESG / CRT PPTs and classes and in general pandering, releasing PII data of service members who trangress unwritten laws, lowering standards, pandering to fringe elements who rarely join the military, using VA funds and resorces on illegal aliens, sub standard housing, quota promotions, obesity rates, and field grade & senior enlisted reliefs and firings. We are still Number One baby!!! USA USA USA. In 2024 Select DoD members and US Service Members sat through: - 3,765,000 T2P2 man-hours (person hours?) of DEI related stupidity (probably) - China sat through O - Russia sat through 0 - Iran sat through 0 - North Korea sat through 0