Members of the crane team from Fleet Readiness Center (FRC) East at Marine Corps Station Cherry Point recently did a benchmark visit to Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY) to learn how to improve their program and how they do business in weight handling equipment (WHE) crane operations.

"FRC East was looking for a naval activity that had a model crane program they could observe in order to learn from and take that knowledge back to their command," said Code 7010S Lifting and Handling Regional Division Head Donnell Spruill. "Since we have more than 30 years of crane operations experience, we were the perfect place for them to come and see how we perform operations in the shipyard."

FRC East's visit to NNSY was quite different from what they are used to when it comes to daily crane operations and maintenance.

"Our lifting and handling works with aviation equipment, while the shipyard works with aircraft carrier and submarine equipment," said FRC East Weight Handling Equipment Program Manager and Sling Program Coordinator Daniel R. Brashear. "The concept is the same; our turnaround time is just as critical as theirs, it's just on a different scale."

The crane operations program is complex and all shore-based naval activities are mandated to follow the guidelines and requirements of the Naval Facilities Engineering Command (NAVFAC) Weight Handling Management Program P-307. It includes maintenance, repairs and alterations, inspections, testing, certifications, operations, training, licensing and rigging gear.

All Navy shore-based activities that perform crane operations must go through an annual inspection performed by the Navy Crane Center.

"The crane center evaluates how the command is meeting, maintaining, and executing the required standards in weight handling equipment operations," said Spruill. "The inspection team goes through the necessary processes of identifying areas. The overall goal is to help the programs improve, have safer operations, and making sure everyone is trained to their full potential."

During the visit, FRC East personnel had an opportunity to compare their crane program to the shipyard's from logs to safety to operations.

The three-day visit included a packed agenda, with the opportunity to learn how to mirror elements of the shipyard's WHE program.

"We are a small group compared to the shipyard's crane manpower," said Brashear. "On a good side, we are going to take what we have learned this week and apply the knowledge to our current weight handling program. This will help us improve training, processes, certifications, and work on getting the same automated computer surveillance program the shipyard uses for their cranes' maintenance and operations."

During this benchmark visit, FRC East and NNSY crane employees shared information that quickly resulted in the teams learning from each other when they started comparing notes and operational tactics.

"Discussions were very successful," said Spruill. "We shared day-to-day crane operations, how to find cures for issues such as nondestructive test (NDT). FRC East is able to conduct NDT on crane hooks in a couple of minutes, compared to what might take us an hour. That is vital."

How to do on-the-spot repairs; what classroom and practical training should be focused on; ways to increase knowledge, skill sets, and provide a faster turnaround time are just some of the ways the shipyard and FRC East are helping and learning from each other.

How NNSY responds to crane trouble calls was another area the FRC team found valuable. When FRC East gets a trouble call, a mechanic and an electrician respond, and when NNSY gets a trouble call, a much bigger crew responds.

"When you come and see a program as robust and mature as the shipyard's, it really helps put things into perspective, and why we need to grow our program to better serve the country's mission," said Brashear. "It has also helped us realize we really need to upsize our weight handling program to properly maintain the cranes and maintenance. This is important on many levels because it will allow us to maintain safety, operations, and be in full readiness currently and in the future."

Having a strong lifting and handling program is a vital piece of the mission.

"When you think about it, without it, more than half of the mission would not be completed in an effective manner," said Spruill. "Along with the cranes, you need rigging, forklifts, and be to certified in accordance with the P-307. This team is now better prepared for the amount of workload they have, and the projected work in their future."

The visit opened up the communication lines between the two activities and created a relationship where knowledge can continuously be shared. Mirroring NNSY's crane program offers FRC East the opportunity to build their skill sets, training programs, and provide better products to carry out their mission that will help protect the country.

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