EL SEGUNDO, Calif.,
Nov. 3, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- What do
skilled aircraft workers do during their lunch break? At Northrop
Grumman Corporation (NYSE: NOC) last week, they competed to build
100 bicycles for the families of military personnel serving
overseas.
Applying some of the techniques the company uses to manufacture
major portions of advanced aircraft for the U.S. Navy, five teams
of employees attempted to turn out 20 bikes each in 30 minutes, a
production rate of approximately one every 90 seconds.
At the El Segundo location,
Northrop Grumman is responsible for design and production of the
center/aft fuselage section, twin vertical tails and all associated
subsystems for the Navy's F/A-18E/F Super Hornet and EA-18G Growler
aircraft. As the principal subcontractor to Boeing, Northrop
Grumman has delivered more than 2,100 fuselage shipsets over the
life of the programs.
The bicycle assembly teams included representation from the
major disciplines involved in aircraft production: engineering,
tooling, production operations, supplier management, finance and
quality assurance.
Two weeks before the Oct. 31
event, each team received 20 bike kits with instructions, a
prescribed set of tools (no power tools allowed) and an assembly
stand. Teams then had to develop their own assembly strategy. Some
decided to form one assembly line, while others chose to divide up
the tasks into separate work groups.
The bicycles will be delivered in time for the year-end holidays
by members of the Northrop Grumman employee service group VERITAS,
Veterans, Employees and Reservists Inspired to Act and Serve.
Bicycle assembly events were also conducted in October at
Northrop Grumman sites in Palmdale, San
Diego, and Bethpage, New
York. In all, Northrop Grumman employees built nearly 300
bicycles for deserving military families.
Supporting military families is part of Northrop Grumman's
commitment to the communities where its employees live and work.
Working with its stakeholders, the company maintains a strong
commitment to programs that support our troops and veterans,
improve education and human services, and promote cultural
awareness and diversity.
Northrop Grumman is a leading global security company providing
innovative systems, products and solutions in unmanned systems,
cyber, C4ISR, and logistics and modernization to government and
commercial customers worldwide. Please visit
www.northropgrumman.com for more information.
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SOURCE Northrop Grumman Corporation