Army veteran improving shipyard competency
Charles “Chuck” Krugh hit the road running when he took the reins at Bath Iron Works. Instead of remaining at his office, or just with senior ranking employees, he toured the shipyard getting to know both the workers and the work process. He’s using his job specialty and work history to lead a streamlining of operations to increase efficiency.
From the military Times:
BATH, Maine — Making the switch from building corporate jets to building Navy warships has been reinvigorating for a soldier-turned-business executive who’s leading Navy shipbuilder Bath Iron Works.
Charles “Chuck” Krugh said he wasted no time in getting his hands dirty, meeting daily with workers on the ships’ “deck plates.”
“I’m a hands-on guy that likes to get into the details,” he said.
Shipbuilders weren’t so sure at first whether it was just an act, but after six months they’re now accustomed to him regularly chatting with shipbuilders to get a handle on their workflow, at all hours of the day and night.
Labor relations have improved along the way.
“It’s all been good. We’re moving in the right direction. We’ve just got to keep moving that way,” said Rock Grenier, president of Local S6 of the Machinists Union, which represents production workers.
Krugh, 58, arrived in June after the abrupt departure of former Bath Iron Works President Dirk Lesko, who led the General Dynamics subsidiary through a difficult period that included a pandemic and a two-month strike, both of which lengthened construction delays.
The future guided-missile destroyer USS Carl M. Levin that completed acceptance trials this month is more than a year behind schedule. The silver lining, Krugh said, is that the warship earned the highest marks for a Bath-built ship in years in a review by the Navy’s Board of Inspection and Survey.
Krugh said he’s encouraging the shipyard’s 7,000 workers to rethink processes to ensure they can complete tasks as efficiently as possible. A big part of that is ensuring proper planning before a task even starts.
The military Times has additional information.
Category: Navy, Veterans in the news
This reads like a MST3K riff with the names Chuck Krugh, Rock Grenier, and Dirk Lesko.
Sincerely,
Bronk Drywall
Les Moore approves this comment..He couldn’t have said it more better tho he is less sure of Les Nessman. Bailey is in quarters with a fever over Johnny.
Takes a (GO) Army Warrior to show (WE BEAT) Navy how to build a floating Artillery Platform. I’m not surprised at all.
Same Lester Moore?
“Four shots from a 44, no Les, no more”
One of my favorites.
Every time you capitalize GO, I read General Officer.
King, should we call this doggie a shipherd? 😜
Talking to the troops, what a concept. What I find as typical the fact this is written up as some sort of breakthrough in leadership.
The sad part- it is.
Too bad Krugh’s not SecDef… 🙄
There’s a novel concept, asking the crew that does the actual work if there are areas of improvement.
Wondering if he would be interested in turning around a proud but humble woman owned business that sells software to the federal government formerly located in Bethesda Maryland? It seems that since Elaine Ricci took her extended convalescent leave to get her placebo addiction under control, things just haven’t been right.
USS Carl M. Levin.
Wasn’t he that little guy on “Barney Miller?”
Figures…..it takes a Grunt to square away bunch of squids.
/laughs, stirs the shitpot and runs out of thread.
You beat me to the punch. Maybe for his next gig, he can show the Navy how to properly mount turboprop aircraft engines…
Shots fired!
By the way, Gun Bunny, here’s a “corrido” about a Mexican artilleryman who fought for General Doroteo Arambula (Pancho Villa) during the Mexican Revolution. Very brave man and a true representative of your branch:
https://youtu.be/RIl2MjYb0sQ
Better learn you some Spanish so you can appreciate the song.
By the way, my late grandpappy wrote lyrics for some of this group’s songs. He didn’t write this one, though. This was my recently deceased grandmother’s husband who passed on 30 years ago.
A Patriot’s Warrior who understood that when the government of the people was not longer for the people, went to work to change the things he could no longer accept. Then died trying to make the peace. Saint Barbara welcomed him to her feast. Thanks, Pappy, my Spanish is rusty as all hell but I did the Foo of Google.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Felipe_%C3%81ngeles
I figured you would look him up. The funny thing is that my grandma and my grandpa’s families fought on opposite sides of that war. As I recall, my grandma’s family were “Carranzistas” and my grandpa’s family were “Villistas”. Both sides were “Norteños”, ie from northern Mexico, but that whole “revolution” was an ugly event with a whole lot of betrayal and backstabbing and really came down to who you backed. We would be wise to learn that lesson.
And continuing the story, General Angeles was once quoted as saying, “Why would I fear death when I don’t fear life?” He supposedly also told the firing squad to make sure their weapons were in good order and to aim for the heart, as a man such as he should not be shot in the head. To quote Pancho Villa, “Que bonito Pelado”
Dammit. I forgot to check the duty roster. Is it still in the ladies room, next to the trophy for second place?
Not to worry, SFC D, Duty Roster is covered. To carry on the British Army’s Boxing Day Tradition, the ossifers are taking the duties normally assigned to the Enlisted Troops. Ergo MustangCPT Pappy, fired the FIRST (ht 2 Hack Stone) Salvo across a certain beloved squid’s bows.
We can poke each other in fun, and that’s all well and good.
But when we get a real leader like Charles “Chuck” Krugh helping our squid brothers (and sisters) everybody wins.
More like this, please.
Speaking of outstanding leaders:
https://www.usni.org/magazines/naval-history-magazine/2022/december/nimitz-way
“BATH, Maine — Making the switch from building corporate jets to building Navy warships has been reinvigorating for a soldier-turned-business executive who’s leading Navy shipbuilder Bath Iron Works….”
https://www.militarytimes.com/news/your-military/2022/12/28/army-veteran-tasked-with-getting-navy-shipbuilder-back-in-shape/
https://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory/former-soldier-tasked-navy-builder-shipshape-95852773
https://www.pilotonline.com/business/shipyards/vp-nw-shipyard-president-20221227-mruxmkfe75dlbe3kt6furqz2tu-story.html
Funny how those three (and probably more) “news” articles are almost identical. It’s almost as if they were copied from the same press release from Bath Iron Works.
Yeah, well most “reporters” are stenographers these days.