At Ingalls, thousands of pieces of equipment move through the shipyard every day, each critical to the complex ships we build. Despite being one of the smaller teams at Ingalls, Quality’s Preventative Maintenance (PM) Team has an incredibly large scope of work that leaves them touching equipment throughout the shipyard and warehouses.
From arrival through every phase of construction, the Quality PM team keeps the equipment on each ship in good working condition, ensuring fellow shipbuilders can do their jobs.
“The level of expertise this team has sets them apart,” said Dwayne Edwards, foreman, Preventative Maintenance. “They can maintain any piece of equipment in this shipyard, so our team is a little different from most.”
From scheduled inspections to the lubrication and rotation of mechanical components to testing motors and more, no two days are the same for the PM team. Whether it’s calls from the shop floor or other urgent priorities, this team of shipbuilders stays on the go.
“The people on this team are constantly going back and forth from one end of this shipyard to the other,” said James Akins, manager, Quality. “It can be really taxing, but this team does it and they do it well.”
The team combines integrated logistics engineers and mechanics to manage equipment maintenance, beginning at the outside warehouse when equipment arrives. The scheduling and maintenance histories are recorded and assignments are then distributed to two crews of PM mechanics.
“Each and every person on this team is very passionate about making sure the work is done and that it’s done correctly,” said Tanya Clausell, product test technician. “We match each other’s dedication and have the same high expectations, and we bring that commitment to work every single day.”
In addition to passion, the team knows clear communication is key to achieving first-time quality.
“Quality work starts with good communication, which is critical for every job in the yard but especially for our team,” said PM mechanic Kenny Cook, who works at the outside warehouse.
And, as with so many Ingalls shipbuilders, the work is personal.
“I have family members and friends in the military serving all over the world,” said Dwayne. “Knowing whatever I touch on these ships might impact their safety and the safety of other service members drives me to make sure we have the highest quality in everything we do.”
This combination of personal pride, technical expertise and dedication keeps the Quality Preventative Maintenance team—and every warfighter—we build moving forward.