To break though the maintenance backlog sidelining many US Navy (USN) ships, the USN must find a more efficient way to ready the waterfront for the work, according to George Whittier, Fairbanks Morse Defense CEO.
“We have to do a better job of pre-planning the maintenance, planning, and pre-positioning the material,” Whittier told Janes on 10 January during a briefing in advance of the Surface Navy Association National Symposium 2025, which started on 14 January.
For the first quarter of this year, for example, Whittier advised the USN, “Buy the material. If you have the material available, you can get aboard to do the work.”
One of the issues is more a mindset than a waterfront challenge, he said. “I think people just accept that an availability takes nine months to 12 months. Not enough people challenge that assumption.”
He said, “It would be like taking a car into a shop after putting 12,000 miles on it for an oil change that would take a month.”
He recommended the USN start adopting more lean-manufacturing principles for maintenance.
Fairbanks Morse Defense has been able to reduce some engine maintenance to 30 days from 90 days, he said.
“We've taken the lean-manufacturing approach,” he said. “You get the schedule right. You make sure all the scaffolding is pre-positioned and planned. The scaffolding, material, plans – it all has to be there.”
Proper scheduling and planning can help alleviate supply chain issues, he said.
The USN is on the right track with its plan to have more frequent and shorter availabilities for its ships. “That's the [US] Coast Guard (USCG) mentality,” he said.
For more information on USN maintenance issues, please see CBO cites importance of maintenance in meeting US Navy fleet requirements .
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