Learn about organizational commitment to improvement and associated business goals; gain insights into the methods that commit your supplier to engage in a continuous improvement program of their own.
Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) partners with its supply base in a series of engagements designed to share the mission of shipbuilding and the Navy, link its shared business processes and improve communications to foster good relationships. Learn how it utilizes a range of industry-wide best practices and tool sets, modified to complement the expectations and requirements of the Department of Defense shipbuilding. The tools sets range from on-line/in-person training, operational lean assessments, lessons learned events and the analysis of its shared value stream. Hear how the process methodically improves its supplier’s understanding of doing business with NNS, compliance with the technical requirements and provides the means for the supplier to become a capable, reliable partner to meet both quality and delivery requirements. Learn about NNS’s approach and deployment of it continuous improvement (CI) and supplier development program.
Newport News Shipbuilding (NNS) is the sole designer, builder and refueler of U.S. Navy aircraft carriers and one of two designers of U.S. Navy submarines. With approximately $4 billion in yearly revenues and more than 23,000 employees, it is the largest industrial employer in Virginia and when paired with its sister company, Ingalls Shipbuilding, it is the largest shipbuilding company in the United States. NNS builds the most advanced ships in the world using its expertise in nuclear propulsion, naval design and manufacturing. www.nns.huntingtoningalls.com
Brian Tapajna is the program manager of supplier development and continuous improvement at Newport News Shipbuilding, responsible for the oversight and deployment of a systematic approach to improve suppliers’ operational performance, improved shared business processes, establishing and maintaining relationships and sharing the mission of shipbuilding and the Navy across the supply base. Tapajna holds a bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering from the University of Toledo and an MBA from Baldwin Wallace College. He is lean certified and holds a green belt in six sigma. Tapajna is an examiner for the Virginia U.S. Senate Productivity and Quality Award (SPQA) and holds a Certification in Production and Inventory Management (CPIM) from the American Production and Inventory Control Society (APICS).
