Materials and Repair Parts

manufacturers' technical manuals, blueprints,

may be lost if one of them holds up your work and the

drawings, and any other available information.

time spent to transport material between shops. Each

Try to find out in advance all the tools and

shop should make a separate estimate, and the

materials needed for the job.

estimates should be combined to get the final

estimate. Do not try to estimate the time that will

Make a reasonable allowance for waste when

be required by other personnel. Attempting to

calculating the amount of material you will

estimate what someone else can do is risky because

need.

you cannot possibly have enough information to

make an accurate estimate.

MATERIALS AND REPAIR PARTS

Consider all the interruptions that will cause delays,

over and above the time required for the work itself.

The responsibility for maintaining adequate stocks

Such things as drills, inspections, field days, and

of engine-room repair parts and repair materials belongs

working parties have quite an effect on the number of

at least as much to you as it does to the supply

people who will be available to work on the job at any

department. The duties of the supply officer are to buy,

given time.

receive, stow, issue, and account for most types of stores

required for the support of the ship. However, the supply

Estimating the number of personnel required for a

officer is not the prime user of repair parts and repair

certain repair job is, obviously, closely related to

materials; the initiative for maintaining adequate stocks

estimating time. You will have to consider not only the

of repair materials, parts, and equipment must come

nature of the job and the number of people available, but

from the personnel who are going to use such items.

also the maximum number of people who can work

Namely you!

EFFECTIVELY on a job or on part of the job at the same

time. On many jobs there is a natural limit to the number

Basic information on supply matters is given in

of people who can work effectively at any one time. On

Military Requirements for Petty Officer Third Class,

a job of this kind, doubling the number of personnel will

NAVEDTRA 12044-A.

not cut the time in half; instead, it will merely result in

Identification of repair parts and materials is not

confusion and aimless milling around.

usually a great problem when you are dealing with

The best way to estimate the time and the number

familiar equipment on your own ship. But it may present

of personnel needed to do a job is to divide the total job

problems when you are doing repair work for other

into the various phases or steps that will have to be done,

ships, as you would if assigned to the gyro shop on a

and then estimate the time and personnel required for

repair ship or tender.

each step, taking in consideration the ship's schedule

The materials and repair parts to be used are

during each step. One way of getting a handle on what

specified for many jobs, but not for all. When

is going on during each step is to consult the ship's

materials or parts are not identified in the instructions

master training schedule and the monthly training plan.

accompanying a job, you will have to use your own

Taking all this miscellaneous time into consideration

judgment or do research to find out what material or

will give you an accurate estimate of time required to

part should be used. When you must make the

accomplish the job.

decision yourself, select materials on the basis of the

Estimating the materials required for a repair job is

purpose of the parts and the service conditions they

often more difficult than estimating the time and labor

must withstand.

required for the job. Although your own experience will

Because materials and repair parts are not specified

be your best guide for this kind of estimating, a few

in the instructions accompanying a job does not mean

general considerations should be noted:

that you are free to use your own judgment in selecting

parts and materials to accomplish a job. Instead, you

Keep accurate records of all materials and tools

must know where to look for information on the type of

used in any major repair job. These records serve

two purposes: first, they provide a means of

material or repair parts needed, then locate and

requisition them to complete the assigned job. The

accounting for materials used; and second, they

provide a guide for estimating materials that will

shipboard sources of information that will be most

helpful to you in identifying or selecting materials are

be used for similar jobs in the future.

as follows:

Before starting any repair job, plan the job

Nameplates on the equipment

carefully and in detail. Make full use of

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