An Roinn Cosanta Óglaigh na hÉireann Department of Defence Defence Forces
Mechanical Engineering and Naval Dockyard (MENDY)
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- 4.3.1 Civilian Dockyard Staff
- Activities
- Efficiency
- 4.3.1.4 Recommendations
- 4.3.2 Fleet Support Group (FSG)
- Recommendations
4.3 Mechanical Engineering and Naval Dockyard (MENDY)This Unit is responsible for second line and heavy technical support of Naval Service ships and boats. This unit comprises the main element of the civilian maintenance workers and the FSG. The FSG is the flotilla shore rotation. The breakdown of strength and costs for 2006 are outlined in Table 4.4 as follows; Table 4.4 Personnel Costs for MENDY 2006
4.3.1 Civilian Dockyard Staff
Payroll costs for 2006 were identified as €3,372,167. This figure includes staff involved in both administrative and maintenance activities. Civilian Dockyard staff are directed towards other maintenance activities aside from Naval Service fleet maintenance. These include;
The job card system was used to identify the percentage of time engaged in these other activities in order to reflect the cost of Naval Service fleet maintenance. Analysis of direct costs associated with the various areas of maintenance highlighted 18.7% of time dedicated to these other responsibilities. This gives an associated cost of €2,743,891 for civilian Dockyard personnel for 2006.
As already mentioned, the civilian Dockyard staff are mainly used for level II and level III (heavy technical support) maintenance of Naval Service ships. Their main work effort is primarily directed towards the annual refit of each ship, which is generally scheduled for a twenty-eight day period. All large-scale services/overhauls are scheduled to occur during the refit. New equipment fit, major additions, alterations and accommodation upgrades also occur at this time. The majority of available maintenance resources as detailed above are made available to the ship during this period. During periods alongside the Naval Base between patrols, support is often sought from the Dockyard in order to reduce work backlogs, investigate & problem solve more complex failures and undertake UCM that may require Dockyard resources. However, support levels are limited during standard periods between patrols, as ships on annual refit will command the majority of support resources. OC Dockyard can also order parts through the Main Tech Stores for work that will be conducted during the re-fit period.
The maintenance plan issued by MMS details specific work that must be completed within the refit period. This work is managed by OC Dockyard and assigned to the various civilian sections. The Dockyard operates a job card system that associates time and personnel resources with the various maintenance requirements. The current process entails opening a job card once work has started, which is then closed on the date that the job is completed. However, within this period, additional jobs can and are added to the card and personnel assigned to the work are often called away for other prioritised work. The net effect of this is that the completed job number reflects a series of aggregated maintenance activities against an overall time. It is therefore difficult to comment on efficiency when the system does not provide information regarding time spent on specific maintenance activities. The Steering Committee noted that the present job card systems primary focus is on capturing costs rather than a means of identifying time spent on maintenance activities. The Committee acknowledged that the difficulties encountered by the Working Group in terms of identifying time spent on various maintenance activities is a practice or custom related issue and a modified application of the job card system should address these issues. The Naval Service has recently taken steps to address this gap. Allied to this issue, the Steering Committee noted that there is presently no benchmarking system in the Naval Service for assessing maintenance activities such as the use of average or standard times compared to actual time taken to complete work as a measure of efficiency. The Working Group noted that a Preventative Maintenance Manual was in operation in the USCG. This manual includes a detailed list of maintenance activities on a ship-by-ship basis outlining the number of personnel required to conduct the work, necessary parts and consumables, frequency and an estimate on how long the job should take. The Naval Service has commenced drafting a Preventative Maintenance Management Manual, by combining all the information already available into a single source document. In addition, the Working Group acquired standards times from an engine manufacturer in order to benchmark time for completion of specific maintenance routines and it is intended that these routines will be incorporated into the Naval Service Preventative Maintenance Management Manual. Due to the aggregation of multiple maintenance tasks under a single job number, the Working Group were unable to isolate specific jobs for which standard times had been identified. This prevented the Working Group from completing the benchmarking study and commenting on efficiency. 4.3.1.4 RecommendationsIt is anticipated that the EAM module of MIF will allow for the setting of standard times against specific jobs and the recording of actual time spent on these jobs. The Steering Committee recommends that a Preventative Maintenance Manual, currently being developed by the Naval Service, be completed for each vessel. This manual should include a detailed list of maintenance activities on a ship-by-ship basis outlining the number of personnel required to conduct the work, necessary parts and consumables, frequency and an estimate on how long the job should take. The Steering Committee recommends that major PPM routines are isolated and that standard times are introduced for each of these routines. Utilising manufacturers, USCG and other suitable comparative data can identify standard times for the major service routines. The Naval Service should continue to refine the current civilian job card system to clearly identify specific works undertaken, thus facilitating the identification of time spent and associated costs on specific maintenance jobs. The Steering Committee recommends that a formal system to monitor performance against standard times should be established. 4.3.2 Fleet Support Group (FSG)
The total payroll cost of FSG for 2006 was €3,155,000. It became apparent during the Review that FSG are used for activities other than maintenance therefore the whole payroll costs could not be allocated. These activities include ceremonial, military training, base security duties and relief for personnel at sea. An examination of daily/weekly attendance figures highlighted a 33% time allocation to activities other than maintenance. When taking this factor into account, the maintenance related cost of FSG for 2006 is €2,153,850.
The FSG comprise of the marine engineering staff that are on 2-year rotation from sea service with the flotilla. The skills resources within FSG include engine room artificers and mechanics. OC Dockyard assigns appropriate tasks to FSG personnel based on the Preventative Maintenance Plan. FSG generally conduct level II maintenance on the various ships during refits and when vessels are alongside. In addition, they are also responsible for servicing and repairs to the inflatable rib fleet. As mentioned in the costing methodology, FSG are also used for other duties.
As indicated above, FSG personnel are assigned various tasks in accordance with maintenance requirements. These assignments are recorded in the daily parade states but unlike their civilian colleagues, there is no job card system or means of capturing output in terms of time spent on maintenance activity. Therefore, productive effort for maintenance could not be isolated on a task-by-task basis and this has prevented the Steering Committee from commenting on efficiency.
The Steering Committee anticipate that EAM will address the issues outlined above in terms of reporting on time spent on maintenance activities. The Steering Committee recommend that the job card system should also be piloted and extended to the FSG in order to align maintenance processes under one system and facilitate the introduction of EAM. The Steering Committee noted that 33% of FSG staff time is spent on a range of activities including sea relief and non-maintenance related military duties. Personnel are often taken away from maintenance jobs in order to fulfil these temporary duties, sometimes with little prior notice. This may result in a reluctance to schedule FSG staff for extended maintenance tasks. The Steering Committee recognise that there is an ongoing requirement for sea relief staff and staff to undertake military duties. In that context, the Steering Committee recommends that the Naval Service critically review management of FSG staff resources to ensure maximum availability for maintenance tasks. The Steering Committee acknowledges that on occasion, operational requirements may supersede planning guidelines but believe that their technical skills and capabilities need to be primarily directed towards maintenance activities.
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