Overview
Project Number: M2888
Project Title: Manufacturing Support Tools
Period of Performance: SEP20 – FEB22
Objective
General Dynamics Bath Iron Works (BIW) manufacturing processes rely on accurate and reliable data to complete tasks below cost and on schedule. Current processes include unnecessary redundancies, multiple stages of checks and substantial manual effort to ensure the data provided to mechanics is correct and deliverables are accurate and meet requirements. These processes offer a significant opportunity to reduce manual efforts and expedite services and deliverables, while improving first-time quality.
The primary objective of this Naval Shipbuilding and Advanced Manufacturing (NSAM) Center project is to institute functional tools and integrated data management to best support manufacturing to expedite tasks, verify status and validate results. Three primary focus areas exist to modify and enhance the processes and approaches used today:
- Create central data repositories and migrate data that are used by several tools, ensuring data accuracy and reliability across multiple applications.
- Create a tool suite that is extensible, such that it can be adapted to integrate with other types of tools and applications. This would include all interfacing tools, user interfaces and data management tools needed to enable functionality.
- Create toolsets that improve processes, add automation and improve data accessibility in order to support internal and external customer requirements.
The primary focus areas described above are related to test and activation activities. However, other manufacturing needs have been identified, such as the ability to create readiness reports, manage lock out / tag out activities and verification and management of specific design details and installation instructions that facilitate planning, scheduling, construction and testing activities.
Benefits/Payoff
The Manufacturing Support Tools project will produce estimated savings of $725.0K per year. This will create a five-year saving of $3.6M and a return on investment of 3.2:1. This will be achieved by reducing labor costs and avoiding rework associated with poor access to data.
Implementation
Implementation began in the fourth quarter of FY2022. As such, it will become widely available for use as an integrated tool starting with DDG 127. However, due to the spiral strategy for deployment (including training), it is likely there will be significant tool use before this timeframe.
*Prepared under ONR Contract N00014-19-D-7001 as part of the Navy ManTech Program.
*DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT A. Approved for public release: distribution unlimited. DCN# 0543-545-23
