Northrop Grumman Employees Assemble Bikes for Military Families
Spirited lunch-hour competition highlights aircraft production techniques
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
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