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Here's a great article I found at www.northwestnavigator.com: -- Puget Sound Naval Shipyard and Intermediate Maintenance Facility (PSNS & IMF) has accomplished what others thought couldn’t be done--cut the time of ship tank maintenance by more than half. As a result, USS Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) has left the dry dock on schedule and under budget. Partnering with ship’s force and Lincoln project team, the tank value stream team accomplished the seemingly unpredictable, unbelievable and the unexpected.  Through the lean continuous improvement process, the industry standard planning schedule of completing six tanks in 14 and a half weeks was kicked to 18 tanks in 89 days. “Value Streams are main branches of maintenance work that have been identified individually for process improvement through Lean technology,” said Mark Winkler, team leader. “The goal is to provide improved products and cost performance to the customer. Tank maintenance is one such value stream.” Lincoln Commanding Officer, Capt. Andrew McCawley, and the ship’s crew turned out to congratulate the tank value stream team on their success at a recognition ceremony in Hangar Bay 2 on board the carrier. “I want to thank you and congratulate you on your accomplishment,” said McCawley. “This really is significant. I’d like to offer you a ship’s perspective on what you’ve done for the Abraham Lincoln. You have inspired the crew through your dedication by staying on schedule while overcoming every challenge. You have also added to the quality of life of the crew and increased the material readiness of the ship.” Lincoln has an impressive history in fighting the global war on terrorism.  Deployed in war zones many times, most recently Iraqi Freedom and Operation Unified Assistance, the ship and crew have been highly successful in their missions. “Those successes are as much yours as the crew who has been deployed,” McCawley told the hundreds of people assembled. “You have produced the material readiness and capability that the ship possesses. Your victory here today is Abraham Lincoln’s success tomorrow.” Capt. Dan Peters, com-mander, PSNS & IMF also expressed his pride in the remarkable achievements. “I’m proud to stand before you and express my appreciation for what this team has accomplished,” he said. “This team made a commitment to tackle this extraordinary task of significantly reducing cost and schedule with top shelf enthusiasm and professionalism. You rose to the challenge and far exceeded expectations.” “What you succeeded in accomplishing has raised the bar for the rest of the maintenance world,” Peters said. “Now we have to prove that this wasn’t a one-time success, that it is a sustainable process.” http://www.northwestnavigator.com/index.php/navigator/regionalnews/psns_imf_shatter_record/