Too frequently, today's shipyards are a product of their history. Their organizations represent the experiences and successes of the personnel. In the past this has been adequate because the maritime business was largely subsidized by Federal Government programs. Reductions in these programs have directly reduced the business available to shipyards. As a result, shipyards are failing at a record rate. The prognosis is not good. This paper addresses one facet of improving a shipyard's position in an increasingly competitive environment: improvements in overall productivity resulting from integration of the functions of the shipyard staff. First, an organization is described, identifying the staff and defining its purpose within the shipyard. In a typical shipyard, the staff includes organizations for estimating, planning, engineering, purchasing, and contracting. The responsibilities of each of these groups are discussed and, in particular, the areas of interface between them are highlighted. Using the information developed, the paper examines known problems, based on shipyard experiences, which are responsible for reduced productivity. The paper then provides an outline for integration of staff functions, using simple process control and data processing which will reduce staff overhead and provide improved estimating, material flow, and scheduling support to Production.
Federal Advisory Councils Established to Assist Working Caregiving Families
