Overview of Panel SP-1/3 - Facilities and Environmental Effects (The National Shipbuilding Research Program)

The primary objective of this program is to reduce cost, improve productivity and reduce the time required for new ship construction, conversion and repair In the shipbuilding industry through the implementation of new technology, The panel members must be involved with daily operation at their shipyard and be considered a integral part of their shipyard operations. The panel must be versatile and equipped to handle a variety of tasks which will improve productivity and producability both in the short term and long range through operation analysis. Operations analysis may be defined as A Systematic Procedure, employed to study all of the factors which affect the method of performing an operation in order to achieve maximum over-all economy. Through this study the best available method of performing each necessary part of an operation is found, and new manufacturing and maintenance developments are implemented as they become available or are developed through research, in the continuing effort to move every job one step closer to continuous automatic accomplishment. No single operation can be considered as a part of the more or less complicated process of manufacture being used. The effect of any change may be considered in the light of the entire present process of manufacture, Only in this way, can we be sure that the suggested improvement will really produce positive results. The program addresses all phases of ship construction, including fabrication, assembly erection, outfitting and required shipyard services. The program also includes Environmental Effect panel SP-3 considerations involved in facility expansions, and modifications, operations and ship production from a regulatory point of view.