Submitted by TEAM Public Affairs, Cherry Point

March 7, 2001

Top management at Naval Aviation Depot Cherry Point, N.C., recognizes the Beneficial Suggestion Program to be a significant force within the organization to effect improvements in accomplishing the depot's mission and in the productivity and satisfaction of its employees.

The program encourages expansive thinking between the rank and file and inspires organizationalwide commitment to continuous quality improvement, said Linda Coffelt, NADEP Beneficial Suggestion program manager. It is a management and labor tool that plays a key role in improving government operations and reducing costs.

Coffelt said the program is designed to motivate employees to increase productivity and creativity by rewarding the suggestions that benefit the government. Cash awards are paid to "suggesters" whose improvement ideas are adopted.

The program continued to be active and productive during fiscal year 2000.

According to Coffelt, the depot realized a record-setting savings of about $7 million and cash awards totaling $94,774 were paid to employees whose improvement ideas were adopted.

"The program contributes significantly to the depot's efforts to stay competitive in today's critical funding environment," Coffelt said. "All adopted suggestions have a direct influence on productivity and result in a combination of reduced labor hours and/or lower material costs."

Coffelt said all employees, civilian and military, supervisory and non-supervisory, are eligible and encouraged to submit useful ideas for consideration.

Fiscal year 200 suggestion highlights:

Dwayne A. Phillips addressed a problem with factory plates for the Torus, P/N 203576-3. The nickel became brittle and started to flake off which caused a corrosion problem. Phillips recommended stripping the old nickel from the torus and replating with electroless nickel for corrosion protection. He received an award of $3,723 based on monetary savings of $104,508.

Anthony P. Salby noted the DC Excluder, two per shock, was replaced each time the H-46 Blade Shock Absorber was repaired. The excluder assembly is an O-ring seal and retainer. The cost was $375.39 each. Salby recommended purchasing O-ring, MS28775-121, and reusing the retainer if it was in good shape vice purchasing the DC Excluder. The O-ring costs 11 cents each. He received an award of $6,638 based on monetary savings of $687,677.

James L.Abercrombie recommended modifying the procedures for locking screw extraction on T58 engine compressor spools. The locking screw extraction procedures call for hand grinding the head of the locking screw. Due to difficulties associated with controlling the tool during grinding, inadvertent spool damage was often a consequence. Abercrombie recommended using a vertical milling machine for removal of the locking screw head in lieu of hand grinding. Abercrombie received an award of $7,702 based on monetary savings of $900,413.

William A. Bayliss recommended a bonding procedure that allowed electrically deactivated CH-46 rotor blades to be rewired. The deactivated tip lights posed a safety risk, especially at night. The blades would have been removed from service because of deactivated tip lights. The procedure restored the tip light function and improved fleet safety. Bayliss received an award of $5,000 based on monetary savings of $3,466,548.75. An additional award of $15,533 will be paid to Bayliss when approved by the Naval Air Systems Command and the Secretary of the Navy.

Every Suggestion Program is based on two fundamental concepts: (1) the individual closest to the job is in the best position to find new and better ways to improve it, and (2) no one individual employee, supervisor, or manager has all of the good ideas in any organization.