Submitted by TEAM Public Affairs, Cherry Point

CHERRY POINT, N.C. — The Naval Aviation Depot's CH-46 Hangar facing "A" Street looked more like a meeting area than a place to repair helicopters on the afternoon of March 21. The sound of artisans' drills and rivet guns were mixed with employees voicing their views on changes being made to improve Naval aviation during an Information Exchange called Re-engineering: Feedback 2000.

The open house style event gave depot employees the chance to learn more about how Naval Aviation Systems TEAM Business Process Re-engineering (BPR) efforts already under way may impact them. Employees attending had the opportunity to address their comments or concerns directly to Vice Adm. John A. Lockard, commander of Naval Air Systems Command, and NAVAIR senior leadership.

Employees were offered the chance to make suggestions and provide feedback on what re-engineering teams are doing. Teams also demonstrated new electronic methods they have identified as useful in improving how the Naval Aviation Systems TEAM does business.

The Information Exchange was hosted from 12 and 3 p.m. for first-shift personnel and 4 and 5 p.m. for second shift. A total of 1,687 people attended.

Lockard addresses first-shift employees

Standing beneath NAVAIR's Re-engineering: Feedback 2000 banner, which included the words, "Your chance to be heard," Col. Gilda A. Jackson, NADEP commanding officer, introduced Lockard, who kicked off the event with an address to first-shift employees.

"Thank you all for coming out today to spend some time with us to try to understand what this Business Process Re-engineering is all about," Lockard said." We set out at the beginning of this decade trying to transform this team of ours into the very best we can be at every thing we do in support of the warfighter," the Admiral stressed. "We've done a pretty good job of that over this decade, but I learned a long time ago that the day that you become comfortable with where you are in whatever it is you do, the day that you stop learning and changing and perfecting and improving is the day that you're going to not be the best at what you do very much longer.

"In order to continue to make ourselves the best we can be and frankly provide a service better than anybody else in this country can and in your particular case, here at Cherry Point at the NADEP, to do the modification and repair work and in-service engineering and logistics support for our warfighters better than anybody else can do--that's what this is about--to make sure that you do that not today, you already do it today, but more importantly, that you do it tomorrow, and the next year, and the next year and that you get better as long as there is Naval aviation and you are the preferred provider of modification repair, in-service engineering and logistics support for as long as there is Naval aviation."

Lockard noted that, "We went about this in a very systematic way. We got some help from professionals outside the Department of Navy and the private sector who have demonstrated results in companies that have improved themselves and are world-class at what they do. That's what this is about frankly, when it gets down to the individual, it means each of us, looking at what we do and using the opportunity to change what we do to do it better so that it ultimately will reflect in the products and services that our warfighters get from us."

The Admiral then emphasized the importance of why improving the way business is done is so important. "Fundamentally, what we're trying to do here is improve the way we do business so that we can meet the needsof our Department of Navy so that the warfighters can do their job. This is about getting higher quality work; this is about getting more work for every dollar we spend; this is about being the very best source to provide the work so that people don't feel compelled to look outside or other places to find people to do the work that we do day in and day out.