A small team from Newport News Shipbuilding’s Engineering, Technology and Design and Supply Chain Management divisions worked together over the last year and a half to explore methods to deliver office supplies to shipbuilders in a timelier manner.

The team’s objective was to reduce shipbuilders’ cycle and wait time for obtaining office supplies, making standard office supplies more readily available. The solution? Fastenal vending machines.

The team ran a successful pilot, and has since installed Fastenal machines in Bldgs. 160/161, 600, 884, 888, 902, 903 and 916. These machines now house quality office supplies such as retractable ballpoint pens, engineering pads, safety flashlights, pocket calculators, sticky notes and other commonly used items. Machines are restocked daily or replenished as needed, and shipbuilders are required to swipe their badge to retrieve supplies.

The effort also improves space utilization within buildings, inventory management, and provides a reasonable solution that reduces overall costs to the company.

“Having the machines in our building provides us a way to access the supplies we need without having to travel to another location to get them,” said April Hauser (E92), who works in Bldg. 888.

The NNS team meets with Fastenal monthly to review data and feedback, removing items that have a long shelf life in exchange for products that meet shipbuilders’ basic office needs. Since January 2025, the machines have dispersed more than 15,000 office supplies to shipbuilders.

Renae Myles (E01) is a part of the leadership team responsible for the development and launch of the program. “We are hoping to expand the program,” she said. “We aren’t limiting locations. This has been a long time coming and we are excited to see the idea come to fruition.”

Departments that are interested in having access to these Fastenal machines should contact either Myles or Christa Balog (O55).