JUN - Bath Iron Works

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From the Helm Jeff Geiger, President, Bath Iron Works The first half of 2009 is history and now is a good time to review our game plan to see if we need to make second half adjustments. However, the shipbuilding league doesn’t give us much of a half-time “break.” We began the year with a lot of uncertainty and speculation about defense budgets and programs but there were indications our future would become more predictable if we maintained strong performance. The game plan was to keep doing what we had been doing and give every key decision maker a reason to look to BIW to play a pivotal role in fulfilling the Navy’s need for ships. By virtually all measures, you executed that game plan in a near-flawless manner, as evidenced by the attention that we have been receiving. In April, the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition, Sean Stackley, came for a visit and update on our DDG 1000 progress. We were underway with full-rate production by then and he expressed confidence in our ability to build DDG 1000 like a follow ship and change the long held paradigm about lead ships and the problems they typically experience. That visit was shortly followed by one from U. S. Coast Guard Commandant Admiral Thad Allen and Senator Susan Collins. Admiral Allen was clearly impressed with what he observed, especially your energy and enthusiasm. We look forward to his next visit and hope to see some members of his senior staff in the near future. About a week after that, Secretary of Defense Robert Gates announced his recommendation to construct all three DDG 1000 ships at BIW and to restart the DDG 51 production line at both BIW and Northrop Grumman—a decision that was good for shipbuilding, the Navy and the country. While Congress must still act, this helps us to see ahead more accurately than we have been able for a long time. On May 22, about a month after his announcement, the SECDEF came to see for himself what BIW was doing, and then expressed confidence in us when he told reporters after the visit that he felt “there is plenty of money in the budget to keep BIW busy for years to come.” The beginning of this month brought with it the hard reality that the work load downturn between DDG 51 and DDG 1000 programs that we had been anticipating had arrived and with it, a period of temporary layoffs before DDG 1000 production would represent a significant part of our work. We’ve already experienced some of these layoffs. However, your successes to date have made today’s situation far less severe than it might have been. We will continue attempts to minimize the impact to individuals and families. On June 9–12, we had a successful super trial on WAYNE E. MEYER (DDG 108) which was followed by a visit to the shipyard from the new Secretary of the Navy, Ray Mabus who was accompanied by Senator Olympia Snowe and Peter Tupper (D81). Representative Chellie Pingree. He is the second consecutive SECNAV whose first visit to a shipyard shortly after being sworn into office was to BIW. Like those who preceded him, SECNAV Mabus was also impressed by what he saw and heard. By the time your read this, the Maine Maritime Museum will have awarded its 2009 Mariner of the Year Award to the Shipbuilders of BIW—past, present and future. I hope you were able to attend the festivities at the museum with your friends and family. It’s a great honor for all of us to be recognized in this manner which is, in large part, an expression of appreciation by the communities within which we live for the contributions, both inside and outside of the shipyard, that our employees make. I was very proud to have been part of the celebration. As we break the huddle to start the second half of the year, our momentum is good. We are doing the right things and we must hang tough as we push through the current transition from DDG 51 to DDG 1000. Our game plan remains solid— we need to keep executing like the professionals we are. As you celebrate our nation’s birthday with family and friends, take a moment to reflect on the fact that freedom isn’t free. Remember our troops who will spend this July 4 in places far away from their families and friends and, if you see someone who is on active duty or a veteran, please say thank you. Happy Independence Day. “TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE” 2 | June 2009 | BIW NEWS
Performance May 2009 RECORDABLE INJURIES Cumulative Through May 2009 20 15 10 5 0 12.2 Improvement Target 13.3 Actual LOST-TIME INJURIES Cumulative Through May 2009 10 8 6 4 2 0 Improvement Target Actual Note: As of January 2009, safety statistics are reported as rates to align with other safety reporting within the shipyard. 3.8 3.2 BIW NEWS BIW NEWS is published monthly by the Communications Department (D94) of Bath Iron Works and is produced internally in the BIW Print Shop. Photos by Mike Nutter unless otherwise noted. The primary objectives of BIW NEWS are to recognize the service, accomplishments, innovation and contributions of our employees and to provide information on matters that are of interest to our workforce. Comments and suggestions are welcome and should be forwarded to Dixie Stedman at Mail Stop 1210 or by e-mail at dixie.stedman@biw.com. Environmental Year to date (YTD) progress toward achieving our environmental performance goals under the Maine DEP STEP UP and other environmental programs is displayed as follows: Equal to or better than YTD goal Above YTD goal, improved from prior year Above YTD goal, not improved from prior year SECNAV Mabus at BIW The Honorable Ray Mabus, Secretary of the Navy, took office in mid-May and was at BIW on June 15, 2009, as part of a tour of northern New England to familiarize himself with the construction, operation and maintenance of the U.S. Navy fleet. While in Maine, he was accompanied by Senator Olympia Snowe and Congresswoman Chellie Pingree. During a brief media availability following a tour of the shipyard, Secretary Mabus told the press that this was his first visit outside Washington after taking the job. When asked about the significance of Bath Iron Works, he replied that it is very important to the country to have competing shipyards, a strong industrial base and a trained work force. “For us to have the ships that we need to defend the interest of our nation, we have to have capacity …. This is a very, very impressive facility.” Cumulative Through May 2009 Solid Waste Hazardous Waste Energy Costs Facility/Shift Information Call Line Toll free information on facility status, work shift delays, and cancellations 1-866-630-BATH (1-866-630-2284) L to r: Congresswoman Pingree, Secretary Mabus, Senator Snowe and Jeff Geiger. BIW NEWS | June 2009 | 3
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