A Newport News shipbuilding team has developed a video library that illustrates jobs and processes in the Virginia-Class Submarine Program, a “how-to” tool that is proving popular while saving time and boosting efficiency.

It allows shipbuilders to visualize an upcoming job or evolution, which may be more effective than reading a document or seeing a PowerPoint presentation. Stewart Welch, operations superintendent, said the idea came to him when he had to fix a dryer at home and his son suggested looking for a video online.

After he fixed his dryer, Welch thought an internal video library had relevance at NNS, especially for younger shipbuilders with less experience who tend to be visual learners.

“So we took a page out of Hollywood’s book,” he said.

Commonly known as “Fish Pizza Productions,” the team consists of industrial engineers, O36 Training videographers, craftsmen, Operations leadership, Engineering, and many loyal fans. The effort is coordinated by a team of X51 industrial engineers, led by Anna Fisher. To date, more than 50 videos have been completed, and there is a backlog of about 130. Welch refers to them as the “all-star video team.”

Fisher said the team gathers priority topics and keeps track of upcoming key events. Then they’ll sit down with subject matter experts, foremen, general foreman and others and let them describe, from start to finish, what should be depicted. Eventually, they will develop a full script, or screenplay, do a rough cut, and finalize it after review.

Joseph Coons (X43) has appeared in some videos and viewed others when he needed to understand an upcoming job. “If I can learn it on my own faster, it makes it easier,” he said.

The videos capture small details that might get glossed over during a conversation, said Marichal Walden, a foreman who served as a subject matter expert for some videos. “We do things out of habit, so we might not mention those details because we’re so used to doing it.”

The value of the videos goes beyond helping individual shipbuilders. Zack Waltrip, a construction supervisor, shows certain videos to larger groups that depict upcoming high-risk or complex evolutions. They can pause the video, ask questions and discuss.

“We want to watch it together publicly so we can speak as a community about it,” he said.

The benefit extends beyond younger shipbuilders. Cameron Konop, a lead shipfitter on the VCS program, said he’s happy to answer questions from fellow shipbuilders, but said, “I can’t be hands on with everybody.” The videos allow shipbuilders to get their own answers and retain more details than they would during a quick conversation.

With the success and engagement seen on the VCS program, at the start of the year Fish Pizza Productions expanded to the Columbia-Class Submarine Program, led by Jen Flournoy and the X51 team is excited about the growth of the project throughout NNS.

Visit the Fish Pizza Production video channel for more information.