Fleet Readiness Center Southeast receives world-class honors

By FRCSE Public Affairs

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The Targeting, Surveillance and RADAR Systems (TSRS) Shop at Fleet Readiness Center Southeast (FRCSE) has won the Shingo Bronze Medallion presented at a ceremony in Salt Lake City, Utah, May 20.

On May 27, Commander Fleet Readiness Centers Rear Adm. Timothy Matthews delivered the award that recognizes world-class organizations during a two-day leadership conference, Boots on the Ground, at FRCSE in Jacksonville, Fla.

Electronics Mechanic Supervisor Barry “Bear” Dean accepted the award on behalf of the team. He is credited for his effective leadership and creating a culture of continuous improvement through employee empowerment. Yet, Dean credits the shop’s artisans for spearheading the Herculean effort.

“This is a very prestigious international award,” said Dean. “There were at least 60 companies represented at the ceremony in Utah. Just to be recognized, you are well on your way. The level of effort these artisans made to keep our focus was incredible. Everything we do here is touch labor, and we turn out a turret in 21 days without a problem. ”

The TSRS team implemented a cellular production line using single-piece flow methodology for the AN/AAS-44(V) Forward Looking InfraRed (FLIR) system, a passive method of determining bearing, course, and speed of a target by viewing the scene as an infrared image. The streamlined process significantly reduced costs and cycle time while maintaining a high degree of quality.

The U.S. Navy and Raytheon Company established the government and private industry partnership to repair the Multi-spectral Targeting System (MTS) installed on Navy and Marine Corps multi-mission helicopters.

In April, Raytheon certified six FRCSE artisans to perform depot-level repairs on the FLIR system. The workers completed eight weeks of classroom instruction and hands-on training.

Of the 21 employees who work in the TSRS, 18 are directly involved with the FLIR system. The workers repaired the first turret by the end of March and have completed nine to date.

FRCSE Commanding Officer Capt. Paul Sohl thanked the artisans for their significant achievement, and he acknowledged the unique collaboration and the special role Raytheon plays in enhancing the Warfighters’ capabilities.

“Ultimately this partnership will provide our troops with a reliable, quality product when they need it,” said Sohl. “We are bringing the best of what industry and the government have to offer. This synergistic relationship will go a long way to ensuring our troops are mission ready for their tasking.”

This latest collaboration is FRCSE’s second partnership with Raytheon in support of the Navy’s critical weapons systems. Raytheon provides state-of-the-art electronics, mission systems integration and other capabilities in the areas of sensing, effects and command, control, communications and intelligence systems.

“It’s important that the Fleet benefits from this relationship and the Warfighter leaves with fresh capabilities for the battlefield,” said Mark Schroeder, Raytheon’s program manager for Maritime and Littoral Systems Performance Based Logistics Programs. “We look forward to providing this support to the Navy.”

During the FRCSE two-day site visit in November, the Shingo auditors visited the TSRS Shop and reviewed processes as they chatted with artisans. Additionally, they interview the union chief steward, the Occupational Health nurse and key personnel in Safety, Quality Assurance, Legal, Manpower and AIRSpeed to gain a better understanding of the scope of work.

FRCSE’s workforce uses AIRSpeed, a set of process improvement methodologies, including Lean, Six Sigma, and the Theory of Constraints for controlling costs and improving efficiencies in business processes.

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Photo caption:

10-43A:
Commander Fleet Readiness Centers Rear Adm. Timothy Matthews (left) delivers the Shingo Medallion to supervisor “Bear” Barry and the artisans in the weapons component repair shop at FRCSE. The award was presented at a ceremony May 20 in Utah. The FRCSE team improved the FLIR repair turnaround time using a cellular line layout and continuous process improvement. (U.S. Navy photo by Vic Pitts)

10:43B:
During a site visit in April, Rear Adm. Tim Matthews (from left) presents FRCSE Electronics Mechanic Ralph Doll a certificate authorizing Doll to perform depot-level repairs on the Raytheon Multi-spectral Targeting System. (U.S. Navy photo by Vic Pitts)

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