BREMERTON, Washington –
Six Puget Sound Naval Shipyard & Intermediate Maintenance Facility employees whose suggestions improved performance, enhanced safety or saved money at the command were honored for their efforts during an award ceremony at the shipyard July 17.
Four employees were recognized for suggestions through the Improvements Developed by Employee Actions, or IDEA, award program for the third quarter of fiscal 2018. Two others whose IDEA proposal is pending approval were also recognized.
Captain Howard Markle, commander of PSNS & IMF, presided over the ceremony in the shipyard auditorium.
The IDEA program recognizes military and civilian personnel who make a "constructive proposal that directly contributes to economy, or efficiency, or directly increases effectiveness of government operations." Each quarter, the IDEA program honors employees whose suggestions are adopted.
One of the IDEA awards honored James Gardner of the Inside Machine Shop, who developed a tool to quickly and safely remove desiccant and charcoal cartridges from air compressors used in the shipyard. Before Gardner's invention, no specific tool was available for this purpose, requiring maintainers to use a screwdriver and hammer in a difficult procedure.
Markle also recognized Matthew Waters of the Inside Machine Shop and Thomas Stamey of the Fluid and Mechanical Engineering and Planning Division for their modification to valves used on aircraft carriers that is estimated to save more than $36,000 annually. Waters and Stamey received Puget Demonstrated Quality, or PDQ, awards because their suggestion was not yet approved at Naval Sea Systems Command for an IDEA award. Stamey was unable to attend the ceremony.
“The shipyard is in business to fix things," Stamey said. "Sometimes the things that need fixing are designs rather than parts. It's nice to work with a group of mechanics who go beyond 'This valve is infuriating,' to 'This valve is infuriating, and here's how we can make it better.' That second step makes the difference.”
Also honored at the ceremony were:
• David Davis of the Outside Machine Shop.
• Richard Bailey of the Outside Machine Shop.
• Johnnie Dilg IV of the Outside Machine Shop.