Employee suggestions recognized
By Susan Brink, NADEP JAX, Public Affairs Specialist

On April 23, 2002, Capt. Karl E. Yeakel, Commanding Officer, Naval Air Depot Jacksonville (NADEP JAX) recognized three Depot employees through the Valuable Ideas Save Investments Of NADEP (VISION) Program.

Roddrick L. Thomas, Electronics Mechanic, received recognition for suggesting the replacement of the bearings in failed Rotron Fan units as an interim solution to a material shortage. Thomas noticed that the fan overheating due to the failure of the ball bearings might have caused further component damage to the Tubeaxial Cooling Fan. The bearing replacement increased repair reliability and product quality, thus preventing premature component failures and resulted in a savings of nearly $40,000.

Andrea Gottshalk, Pneudraulic Systems Worker, received recognition for developing a new rework procedure for high-pressure relief valves on turbine driven boost pumps. This procedure substantially reduces leakage of the pumps, thus preventing component failure during the leakage test procedure. By cleaning the sealing surface prior to assembling the unit has resulted in saving approximately $100,000 annually.

Thomas McCarragher, Engineering Technician, received recognition for recommending the storage of production manufacturing orders, Temporary Engineering Instructions, and other flight critical documents using scan technology. His suggestion was instrumental in paving the way for the process that began in March 2001 of scanning/digitizing many NADEP documents and records throughout the Depot. This idea provides safer storage, reduces space requirements, and allows for effective retrieval of electronic records.

Yeakel commended the three recipients of the VISION awards and applauded them for their efforts to improve quality, productivity, and economy at NADEP JAX.

Photographs by Victor Pitts, Public Affairs Specialist, NAVAIR Depot Jacksonville

Photo captions:
#1
NAVAIR Depot Jacksonville Commanding Officer, Capt. Karl Yeakel commends Roddrick Thomas, Electronics Mechanic for his suggestion.

#2
NAVAIR Depot Jacksonville Commanding Officer, Capt. Karl Yeakel commends Thomas McCarragher, Engineering Technician for his suggestion.

#3
NAVAIR Depot Jacksonville Commanding Officer, Capt. Karl Yeakel commends Andrea Gottshalk, Pneudraulic Systems Worker for her suggestion.

-- USN --