Newport News Shipbuilding’s Propulsion Plant Planning Yard (PPPY) (E70) hosted an expo earlier this month for employees to learn more about the work taking place across the department.

Austin Lilly (E70), one of the organizers of the event, said it was an opportunity for shipbuilders from the nine work breakdown structure (WBS) areas to come together and showcase their work.

“A lot of people found out some things today that they didn’t even know PPPY did,” he said. This is the event’s second year. The inaugural event was held in Bldg. 903. This year’s expo took place in the old Apprentice School Gym to allow for more room as the department grows.

Employees from the Reactor Plant Planning Yard (RPPY) also were invited to attend. Representatives for employee resource groups and engagement champions also were on hand.

Jessica Green (E70), who organized the event with Lilly, said the expo could help illustrate how shipbuilders’ work fits into “the bigger picture.”

“Sometimes you need to have that holistic understanding. If you know how your part influences another system, then you have more consideration as you design, produce and engineer,” she said. “Getting that in-person face time is huge for relationship building, even within our department because it’s so large.”

Travis Franklin (E70) was among the shipbuilders participating in the event. He talked to fellow shipbuilders about laser scanning, and a co-worker showed how scans are overlaid with the Ford-class product model.

Franklin said events like this help spread knowledge from older shipbuilders who are retiring to newer employees. “I transferred into this group just over a month ago,” he said. “I’m hoping to be able to go around and see more of what E70 does.”