PBN MANUFACTURING AWARDS 2020 | Strategic Leadership Award: Sean Davies, General Dynamics Electric Boat
FOR MORE THAN A CENTURY, General Dynamics Electric Boat has steadily grown into a premier submarine designer and manufacturer, which boasts a dedicated workforce of more than 17,000 employees, including approximately 4,500 in Rhode Island.
Sean Davies, vice president of operations and Quonset Point facility general manager, has been critical in the company’s innovations and success for about a quarter century.
Davies’ career at Electric Boat began in 1997 as a structural engineer, a year after graduating from North Carolina Agricultural & Technical State University with a degree in architectural engineering – he earned a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 2001. He has held several positions in program management and facilities leading up to his current role at the Quonset Point facility in North Kingstown.
Davies, who describes his leadership style as “interactive,” is definitely not one to sit behind a desk staring at a computer screen all day.
“Getting out of the office and communicating face to face with the men and women of Electric Boat allows me to stay informed and educated and gives me the opportunity to establish a positive relationship with the workforce,” Davies said. “I want others to know that I’m approachable and that they can come to me with any questions or concerns that they may have. We all have one common goal and that is to deliver the advantage that protects our sailors, our families and our freedom – we’re all leading this effort as one team, together.”
In recent years, Electric Boat has enjoyed tremendous growth with Davies at the helm. General Dynamics Corp., Davies said, is investing more than $700 million to increase hull-outfitting space to construct Virginia- and Columbia-class submarines at Quonset Point. Once the expansion project is complete, the Quonset Point campus will grow by nearly 600,000 square feet.
Last fall, Electric Boat completed construction of the Virginia Payload Module Special Fixture building, a 30,000-square-foot, $28 million facility that will support construction of the Virginia-class submarines.
Electric Boat also topped off its new 9B building, one of many projects being developed as part of the company’s facilities master plan. Scheduled for completion this summer, the 9B building will be used for final module assembly and outfitting.
“Our operations are indeed expansive – and they are continuing to grow,” Davies said.
Electric Boat is working with Rhode Island legislators and regulators to become a zero-discharge facility, meaning it will no longer contribute industrial wastewater to the local sanitary system.
In December, Electric Boat was awarded a $22.2 billion contract from the U.S. Navy – the largest contract in Navy history – for the construction of nine new Virginia-class submarines with the option for a 10th ship to be built, potentially increasing the value to about $24.1 billion. Ship construction will begin this year with deliveries scheduled between 2025 and 2029.
Cassidy O’Brien, who has been with Electric Boat for six years as a maritime steel apprentice, praised the company’s apprenticeship program, an innovative offering that allows employees to further their education by giving them the opportunity to take college courses while also working.
Ultimately for Davies, the work he and his colleagues do is all about protecting those who protect the country.
“Our company plays an important role in the defense of our nation and we provide good jobs to skilled tradespeople who share our pride,” Davies said. “Building nuclear submarines is very exact, precise and process-driven work. Employees of Electric Boat can say they are supporting the defense of our nation. That is something that not every manufacturer can say.”
COVID-19 UPDATE
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic Electric Boat, like other defense contractors, has been required to remain open based upon direction from President Donald Trump, the U.S. Department of Defense and the U.S. Navy, which designates the company as part of the nation’s critical infrastructure.
“Our team is working hard to make sure that our facilities are clean and safe,” said Elizabeth Power, Electric Boat’s director of communications. “To ensure this is the case, we’ve increased cleaning in high-traffic areas, have taken steps to reduce density of people in workspaces and are providing our employees with the maximum flexibility around working remotely where possible.”
Power also said Electric Boat is allowing its employees to advance their paid time off to allow them to be out of work without penalty during this challenging period.
