Develop a Comprehensive Technical Training and Data Collection Program for Structural Welders and Fitters: Technical Proposal

摘要

Welding is one of the major craft areas in shipbuilding and there is a need for continuous improvement in this area. However as senior welders retire, less experienced welders are not acquiring the in-depth knowledge from their mentors. This project offers several innovations to improve welding productivity and quality. First a productivity measure based on the actual welds completed compared to the expected amount is introduced. The expected amount is computed using the rates appropriate for the location and type of weld combined with the joint data for the welded part. Second a well established quality metric, First Time Weld Quality, is incorporated into the system, thus providing measures of both quality and productivity at the individual level. Third the system is hosted on a handheld unit which provides the foremen with an efficient daily planning tool. The Pilot System which entails developing and initiating a tool that has never been used in a shipbuilding environment was designed and shows extreme promise. However due to Hurricane Katrina, software problems, and production schedule conflicts the pilot system was not tested adequately enough to recommend wide spread adoption without further piloting. The conclusion and recommendation sections provide specific suggestions.