U.S. Army Watervliet Newsletter: The Salvo - 31 January 2014

THE SALVO

NY State VFW Commander

Michael Pascal visits Watervliet,

Benét

Vol. 14, No. 1 U.S. Army Watervliet Arsenal Jan. 31, 2014

Photo by John B. SnyderStory on page 3

Page 2 Salvo Jan. 31, 2014

The Arsenal Salvo is an authorized monthly publication for members of the Department of Defense. Contents of the Salvo are not necessarily the official views of, or an endorse-ment by the U.S. Government, the Department of Defense, the Department of the Army, or the Watervliet Arsenal. News may be submitted for publication by sending articles to Public Affairs Officer, 1 Buffington Street, Bldg. 10, Watervliet, NY 12189, or stop by office #102, Bldg. 10, Watervliet Arsenal. The editor may also be reached at (518) 266-5055 or by e-mail: [email protected]. The editor reserves the right to edit all information submitted for publication.

Commander, Col. Lee H. Schiller Jr.Public Affairs Officer, John B. SnyderEditor, John B. SnyderPhotographer: John B. Snyder

Arsenal Facebook Page @http://on.fb.me/sq3LEm

Lee H. Schiller Jr.Commanding

Manufacturer 6

Commander’sCorner

As many of you know, the President recently signed a $1.1 trillion spending bill that will fund the U.S. gov-ernment through September. This followed a two-year omnibus budget agreement passed by Congress in De-cember. At first glance, this is good news because for the first time in many years, the Defense Department has a budget earlier in the fiscal year, and maybe, some clar-ity out into fiscal year 2015. But we are not out of the woods yet in regards to fiscal uncertainty.

What the budget will do is it will provide a degree of fidelity in how the Army will fund this year’s operations, to include procurement and research & development, both of which impact the arsenal. What it won’t do is to completely unravel a very restrictive fiscal tool called sequestration.

As you may recall, sequestration mandated such things as a hiring freeze, very restrictive use of overtime, and constraints on travel. Sequestration also had such det-rimental effects to our workload that several programs were moved to the right. In essence, several productions lines were delayed. And, without requirements,,weapons program managers were unable to start new work.

I am hopeful, however, that in the near future new guid-ance regarding overtime and hiring authority may ease the current constraints for both actions.

Given that we are already four months into this fiscal year, I am cautiously optimistic that new budget guid-ance will effect this year’s or even next year’s produc-tion. Nevertheless, at the time of this column, major Army staffs, organizations, and installations, such as the Watervliet Arsenal, anxiously wait for detailed funding guidance. And so, I ask you all to be patient and as soon as I receive fiscal guidance that will affect the arsenal or you, I will share it.

In the meantime, please do all that you can to add value to the arsenal, whether it is by being better today at what you do than you were yesterday or by simply being bet-ter stewards of our resources. Every savings count!

mailto:[email protected]

Lee Bennett, the Director of the Army’s Benét Laborato-ries that is collocated on the arsenal, echoed Schiller’s com-ments regarding today’s value the arsenal has to U.S. troops by saying, “We don’t stop doing research and design once the product leaves the arsenal...we always pride ourselves

at our ability to do prod-uct improvement long after the weapon system has been fielded.” During Pascal’s three-hour visit, Arsenal and Benét leadership took Pascal on a jour-ney to memory lane as Pascal often stopped and recalled a weapon system that he had seen while serving in Viet-nam in the 1960s. This was certainly a visit that went beyond simple charts and production numbers. At the end of the day, Pascal and his District 3 commander, Eugene Ratigliano, became witnesses in the tremendous manu-facturing synergy of-fered at the Watervliet Arsenal. There is no other place in the Department of Defense where those who do research and design, such as Benét Labs, are within a five-minute walk from those who will turn blueprints into finished machined products, the Watervliet Arsenal, Schiller said. Pascal thanked the arsenal not only for the

briefing and the tour, but also for the arsenal’s 200 years of service to the nation.


VFW leader makes historic tripto historic arsenal

By John B. Snyder

Photos by John B. Snyder

“This is your arsenal,” said Watervliet Arsenal Com-mander Col. Lee H. Schiller Jr. to Michael Pascal, the com-mander of New York State’s Veterans of Foreign Wars, dur-ing a visit this month by Pascal. Schiller of-ten explains to visitors that because the arsenal is an Army-owned and operated manufacturing center it is here for the community and nation. Pascal, who was elected state com-mander on June 15, 2013, was presented with 200 years of arse-nal history during his first visit to this historic post. Woven into the organizational charts and mission slides that are a customary part of every Army brief-ing, Schiller hit on the responsiveness that an Army-owned and op-erated manufacturing center provides to our nation. “Any urgent need that the Defense De-partment may have, from providing 155 mm cannons to our Soldiers to 60 mm mortars to foreign militaries, are quickly manufactured and shipped from the arsenal each month with an on-time deliv-ery rate that exceeds 96 percent,” Schiller said. “Our products have helped hundreds of thousands of Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, and Marines since 1813 to come home safely.”

Top: Deputy Commander Ed McCarthy, r, explaining a new process of mortar pro-duction to NYS VFW Commander Michael Pascal, c, while Director of Benét Labs Lee Bennett listens in.Bottom: Take a look at the tube that machinist Ryan Putnam is bending under more than 350 tons of pressure while Deputy Commander Ed McCarthy, r, explain-ing why the tube must be placed under so much pressure. NYS VFW Commander Michael Pascal, second from right, Benét Labs Director Lee Bennett, second from left, and VFW District 3 Commander Eugene Ratigliano listen in.

Earlier this month, the President signed a $1.1 trillion spending bill that will fund the U.S. government through September. After a three-year pay freeze and six days of furloughs last year, there are many at the arsenal who celebrated this action because in this new appropriation the Army may be able to claw back billions of dollars from targeted cuts due to sequestration. Before the workforce gets too giddy, however, not all required funding will be obtained by the Army and as a result, major Army staffs, organizations, and installations, such as the Watervliet Arsenal, now anxiously await detailed funding guidance. Col. Lee H. Schiller Jr., the commander of the Watervliet Arsenal, said that within the bill, there are glimmers of hope that more workload may come to the arsenal, but there are also areas of concern. “The bottom line is that fiscal year 2013 was an extremely difficult manufacturing environment for the arsenal and 2014 remains a big unknown,” Schiller said. “Given that we are already four months into this fiscal year, I am cautiously optimistic that new budget guidance will effect this year’s or even next year’s production.” Because of the long lead time to procure raw stock material for many of the items the arsenal manufactures, it may be 12 to 18 months from the receipt of an order before the first shipment begins.

In 2013, sequestration not only made Defense Department program managers, those who order weapon systems and components, hesitant to place new orders, it also negatively effected the arsenal’s current operations. Several lines of production were slipped to a later delivery date due to such things as a hiring freeze that prohibited the arsenal from filling critical vacancies and, as previously mentioned, furloughs. Two budget areas the arsenal is now closely following are funding for procurement and research & development, both of which directly or indirectly influence the arsenal’s long-term viability. Procurement may be the most obvious indicator of where future workload may come from as funding for new weapon systems or product improvements for current systems may start to flow. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel recently stated, “While the budget doesn’t

solve every budget problem facing DOD, it will help address our military readiness


Difficult environment has arsenal anxiously awaiting new fiscal guidance

John B. Snyder

Story continues on page 5, Value

Benét Laboratories designed this new Electronic Thermal Warning Device for the M777 155 mm howitzer.

A 1975 Fires Bulletin from Fort Sill talks about a Thermal Warning Device for howitzers. Sometimes “old” is “new,” as Benét Labs has recently de-signed an Electrical Thermal Warning Device.

Photo provided by Benét Labs


Stephen Bartolucci, Ph.D., a U.S. Army Benét Laboratories materi-als scientist, is doing research using a $1.5 million Dual-Beam Field Emission Microscope that was recently placed into operation. Benét Labs is collocated on the Watervliet Arsenal providing unique syner-gy by having research and design engineers within a five-minute walk of an Army manufacturing center.

Value Cont.

challenges by restoring funding for training and procurement, especially in FY 2014.” The fact that Hagel highlighted procurement may be good news for the Army’s industrial base. Although the arsenal does not directly conduct weapons research and development, it relies heavily on those organizations that do, such as Army’s Benét Laboratories that is collocated on the arsenal. Benét Labs is the Army’s research, development, and prototype authority for large caliber cannon and mortar systems and is responsible for the lifecycle of mortars, tank guns, and artillery cannons. Although Benét Labs was officially established in 1962, its origins and support to arsenal manufacturing date back to the 1840s when the arsenal established a research facility on post along the banks of the Erie Canal. So, what happens to Benét, in regards to research and development funding affects the arsenal. Just about every arsenal item of production, from 155 mm howitzer cannons to 60 mm inconel mortar tubes, can trace its roots to Benét Labs. The advantages of having Benét Labs on the arsenal go beyond the tremendous synergy that is achieved by having a research and design team just a five-minute walk from those who will manufacture the product. Benét Labs also brings workload to the arsenal as it uses arsenal manufacturing to assist in such things as prototype development. Once the prototype is proved out, what better place for production to begin than with the arsenal that now has the tooling in place and the manufacturing expertise to go into full production. But when Defense Department R&D budgets get cut, such as what happened in this year’s appropriations bill, Benét Labs and arsenal leaders know that there will be a trickle-down effect that may touch programs Benét Labs is working and thus, on many of the arsenal’s programs, too. Besides the workload for large caliber weapon systems and components, Benét supports the development of many products that do not have the visibility that major weapons programs do. To support combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, Benét worked on programs such as armor protection kits for wheeled vehicles to Abrams tank

cooling kits for crews to forward observer/forward air controller radio kits. Today, Benét is working on several low visibility programs but ones that have the ability to either make our troops more lethal or more survivable on the battlefield. In 2009, Benét Labs began research and development on a product called an Electronic Thermal Warning Device (ETWD) for the M777 lightweight towed howitzer. After years of research, design, and testing, the Army gave its approval to go into full production last fall. But thermal warning devices (TWD) are not new to the Army’s field artillery. In the 1974 Fires Bulletin from Fort Sill, Okla., then 2nd Lt. Arnold M. Manaker discussed several major product improvements, such as a thermal warning device. This device allowed advance cannon technology to achieve extended ranges and a higher volume of fire by managing thermal and mechanical stresses. Christopher Smith, a mechanical engineer with Benét Labs, further explained the TWD shows the temperature of the tube so that a cannon crewman may take proper action during a cook-off of propellants and or a projectile, or may be used to assist in determining barrel wear.

Story continues on page 6, Value

Photo by John B. Snyder

“What is significantly different with the electronic thermal warning device is that the older device used mercury to measure temperature,” Smith said. “The electronic version provides a more accurate measurement of tube heat under heavy stress and does so without any environmental concerns.” A few buildings away from Smith is Stephen Bartolucci, Ph.D., a Benét Labs materials scientist, who is doing research using a $1.5 million Dual-Beam Field Emission Microscope that he recently placed into operation. “The capability that this microscope provides puts Benét on an even playing field with academic and other research facilities in the field of nanotechnology,” Bartolucci said. “We can now see the affects that occur when the microscope’s ion beam is directed at a composite tube and do so at resolutions 50 thousand times smaller than the thickness of a human hair.” Why is this important? By injecting such things as nanotubes or by reconfiguring the basic structure of the atoms in steel alloys, cannon tubes may eventually be made stronger, be able to withstand higher heat, and be made with much lighter material. This is a potential win for the Soldier who is always concerned with tube heat, the logistics planner who must move the cannon, and for the arsenal that may end up with a future production order. Beyond the R&D that supports arsenal production, Benét Labs continuously seek ways to be a good tenant on the arsenal by its controlling operation costs. Ryan Rousseau, a mechanical engineering technician in the fatigue lab at Benét, raised awareness to the Benét leadership about the high level of city water consumption and environmental risk caused by


Ryan Rousseau, a mechanical engineering technician in the fatigue lab at Benét, raised awareness to the Benét leadership about the high level of city water consumption and environmental risk caused by the open-loop cooling systems in his lab. Here, he is standing next to the chiller that he just installed.

the open-loop cooling systems in his lab. Annual water consumption was averaging about 600,000 gallons a year. On his own initiative, Rousseau designed and built a closed loop-system using mostly repurposed and underutilized equipment. The required equipment and components were gathered from terminated projects, scrap bins, storage rooms, then modified and put to use. With the support of fellow lab worker, Mike Knapp, this

project was completed in about seven months. If Benét Labs had to purchase the chiller it would have cost the organization more than $150,000. Rousseau completed the job for about $2,500 and that doesn’t address the cost avoidance for the arsenal of not having to purchase nearly 600,000 gallons of water a year. While DOD budget gurus are now assessing the 1,500-plus pages of the appropriations bill, the Watervliet Arsenal and Benét Labs anxiously wait for detailed funding guidance, which is something both organizations have been doing together for more than 170 years.

Ryan Rousseau, a mechanical engineering technician in the fatigue lab at Benét, searched high and low for underutilized equipment and then repurposed those items saving the Army nearly $150,000.

Value Cont.


Photo provided by Benét Labs


CPAC - Civilian Personnel Advisory Center

Protect Yourself, Save Money, & Maximize Your Retirement

What You May Not Know About Sick Leave

In the federal government, sick leave not only provides protection of income during routine ill-nesses, but also serves as a form of short-term disability insurance. You earn six months of paid sick leave for every 10 years of federal service. Your sick leave provides a valuable safety net if you get sick or hurt and can’t work for an extended period of time.

Your chances of being disabled at some time during your career are probably higher than you think. According to the Social Security Administration, studies show that a 20-year-old worker has a 30 percent chance of becoming disabled before reaching retirement age. Accruing your sick leave not only provides a safety net for unexpected times of illness, but it can also add to your length of service when it comes time for retirement.

Both permanent and temporary employees earn sick leave. The earning rate differs based on their work schedules. All full-time employees regardless of their length of service earn four hours of sick leave each full bi-weekly pay period. Part time employees earn one hour of leave for every twenty hours in a pay status. Employees do not accrue sick leave in a pay period in which leave without pay (LWOP) or absence without leave (AWOL) reaches 80 hours.

Balance in the Bank

Federal employees are not compensated for their unused sick leave. However, when you retire, the balance of your sick leave is converted to months and days of service and added to the length of service used to compute your retirement benefits. Both CSRS and FERS employees receive credit for their unused sick leave and there is no limitation on the amount of sick leave that can be accu-mulated.

Also, remember the cost you’re avoiding by accumulating sick leave. A disability insurance policy for an employee earning $60,000 a year is about $40 a month. Many insurance companies won’t sell disability insurance to federal employees since they already have coverage for short-term disabilities (through sick leave) and long-term disabilities (through federal disability retirement programs). It is important to note that as Federal employees, we cannot receive NYS Disability.

If you have any questions regarding sick leave, contact the CPAC office on extension 4066 or 5400.

of time. President Barack Obama signed on December 26 a Na-tional Defense Authorization Act funding the Defense De-partment at $526.8 billion for fiscal year 2014. Congress, this month, had to reconcile an omnibus budget, which appropriates money, with the president’s NDAA. Out of this reconciled budget came more specification in regards to how DOD will fund its operations this year. One must also keep in mind that the arsenal is already in the fourth month of fiscal year 2014. By the time guid-ance comes from Congress, through DOD, and then finally from the Army’s senior leaders to the Watervliet Arsenal, this fiscal year will be about half over. Due to this budget uncertainty and its delay in guidance, there simply may not be much time to influence this year’s manufacturing levels, as lead time for raw stock material for manufacturing can take up to 18 months from the time an order is received. Compound that budget shortfall with a planned with-drawal of combat forces from Afghanistan by the end of 2014, and the downsizing of Army force levels from about 540,000 Soldiers to 490,000 by September 2015, a rather bleak future is painted for defense manufacturing beyond fiscal year 2014. Quite simply, the U.S. military will become smaller and

leaner. A smaller army means that there will be fewer combat brigades that will use many of the weapon sys-tems and parts the arsenal manufac-tures. Estimates are that up to 10 bri-gade combat teams may be inactivated over the next two years. The arsenal is looking very hard at how to make up some of the potential workload fallout by seeking public-private partnerships and by tapping into foreign military sales. In the meantime, the arsenal will celebrate all contracts, no matter how small. Stewart and Gaston both agree that given this era of fiscal uncertainty even a small order is essential to sus-taining the critical machining skills required for today’s and tomorrow’s weapons systems.


Sequester-constrained arsenal welcomes, cheers small contracts


By John B. Snyder

The Watervliet Arsenal announced this month that it received a contract valued at more than $1 million to man-ufacture 81 mm mortar clamp assemblies for the Army’s TACOM Life Cycle Management Command. “This million dollar order will add to our current work-load more than 3,000 hours of direct labor,” said Ed Stew-art, the arsenal’s program manager for the mortar order. “We will begin shipping in February 2015 and will com-plete the order by May 2015.” The arsenal completed nearly $100 million in orders last year and at first glance, this order might seem insig-nificant, said Ray Gaston, the arsenal’s chief of production planning and control. “Given the continued uncertainty with the defense bud-get, weapons program managers are now very cautious in soliciting new work,” Gaston said. “And so, we now cel-ebrate all orders, big or small, as a major achievement.” But are small contracts the future for the historic arse-nal? The arsenal worked very hard in fiscal year 2013 to operate within the framework of sequestration by reduc-ing its cost structure through an implementation of a hiring freeze and a very limited, and heavily scrutinized, use of overtime to sup-port the mission. These and other steps helped to reduce operating costs by more than $8 million in fiscal year 2013. For fiscal year 2014, the arsenal will further lower its cost of operation through such actions as reducing the size of its workforce and by limiting capital investments. But sequestration has not gone away, albeit, it may not be as painful as it was in 2013 due to the bipartisan two-year budget agreement passed by Congress last month that capped DOD funding at about $498 billion for fiscal year 2014. Congressional appropriation com-mittees are now hard at work but they are running up against the tyranny

Arsenal apprentice Scott Dingwall working on 81 mm mortar baseplates in early January 2014. Dingwall is in his second year of the ap-prentice program.


Benét Labs’ technician creates a “chilling” effect

on fatigue lab

In the Army’s Benét Laboratories there is an arsenal of scientists and engineers with advanced degrees who make up over half of its workforce. Their work in designing improvements for large caliber weapon systems to looking at nanotechnology for future systems is quietly performed in the confines of the Watervliet Arsenal. But in an era of sequestration or what is commonly known in the Department of Defense as a period of “fiscal uncertainty,” one can anticipate a very competitive spirit to rise within the Army as each organization will fight for their piece of the defense budget pie. You can already see this fight on the front pages of major newspapers as the U.S. Navy, Marines, Air Force, Army, National Guard, and Reserves are jockeying each other in advance of budget guidance. Each wants to protect their organizations from cuts and so, they are making their case as to their value to DOD and to the nation. What is interesting about Benét Labs is that the workforce seems to get it. The “it” being is that the workforce understands that they must increase their organization’s value to the Army in everything they do. And so, along comes Ryan Rousseau, a mechanical engineering technician, who recently stepped up to the challenge to enhance Benét Lab’s value. Ryan has been known as a self-starter long before he began working at Benét Labs in 2009. After high school, Ryan put himself through four mechanical vocational programs en route to him becoming a master mechanic for a local BMW dealership. While working full time at the dealership, Ryan put himself through a mechanical engineering program at Hudson Valley Community College in Troy, N.Y. In the five years he has been working in Benét Lab’s

fatigue lab, he took the initiative to learn 3-D computer design, among other things, that have added value to his team. Recently, and on his own initiative, Ryan took on

a herculean task of researching, designing, and fabricating a new cooling system for his lab that will save nearly 600,000 gallons of water a year. He recently completed the job by repurposing underutilized equipment that was in storage rooms, scrap bins, and on shop floors. If Benét Labs was to outsource this endeavor, from design to installation to the purchase of new equipment, the cost would have been approximately $150,000. Ryan completed the job for about $2,500. Not only does his initiative avoid significant costs in the future, it also brings value back to underutilized equipment, while making Benét Labs a good steward of the environment. Although Ryan’s talents and initiative are well known and

appreciated at the highest levels of Benét Labs, it may be a comment from Alice Crayon, the chief of Benét Labs’ Armament Technologies Division, who sums Ryan up best. “He is indeed a very uniquely talented individual and one of the most gracious people I know,” Crayon said. “We are very fortunate to have him working with us.” In his spare time, Ryan is now attending the University of New York at Albany to obtain a bachelors degree in Physics. He said he believes that once he has his four-year degree in hand that he will make an even bigger impact for Benét Labs and thus, for the Army. Given Ryan’s track record, many believe he will, too. For all that Ryan has done, and for what he will do in the future for the Army, he is very deserving to be this month’s Arsenal Face of Strength.


By John B. Snyder


By John B. Snyder

Hundreds of American Legion leadership from throughout New York State converged on the state’s Capital District Jan. 24 - 26 to address Veteran, youth, and community issues and the Watervliet Arsenal was there. Arsenal Commander Col. Lee H. Schiller Jr. was the guest speaker for the general session of the three-day event.

Whereas, the former arsenal commander last year focused on the Arsenal’s historic 200th anniversary and the need to work better together to support New York’s communities, Schiller focused his comments on highlighting the great work the Legion and Veterans do for the community, state, and for the country.

“One of the highlights of my command is my opportunity to engage various community organizations and community leaders about today’s military, the arsenal, and about the service to our country by those who have worn our nation’s uniform, in essence, our veterans,” Schiller said. “Veterans are the glue to the great American tapestry that binds our communities to our military, but even saying that does not give you (Legion) credit for the all the great work that you do.”

Schiller explained that something magical happens when a servicemember returns home and becomes a Veteran because most Veterans feel that their obligation to their country does not end when they take off their uniform for the last time.

“When a veteran steps back into the community, those obligations are forever inherent in their being,” Schiller said. “But it is how that veteran leverages their values and life skills that move them from simply being a good addition to the community to becoming significant in the community.”

Schiller praised the Legion members for not simply blending back into their communities, as evidenced by the Legion’s involvement is such programs as Boys State, college scholarships, and to homeless and hospitalized Veterans.

Among the praise, Schiller also had a challenge to the Legion leadership.

“So, here we have two great icons of the community, the Watervliet Arsenal and the American Legion, both support the community, Veterans, and service members,” Schiller said. “I am a strong believer that operations have a better opportunity for success if they are integrated and synchronized with other organizations that can provide value.”

Schiller then closed by offering the Legion to join with them as they cross the line of departure into the community as one team to ensure that together the two organizations, Legion and the arsenal, better meet their obligation to those who have served, who serve today, and to those who will serve tomorrow.

Praising those who make a difference in

our communities ...

The American Legion

Col. Lee H. Schiller Jr. providing remarks during the NY American Legion’s Mid-Winter Conference to several hundred Legion leaders from throughout New York.



“HOMETOWN NEWS SERVICE”The Joint Hometown News Service (JHNS) manages the Department of Defense’s Hometown News program, supporting the military services. The JHNS staff of military and civilian personnel produces a variety of print and electronic news products highlighting the accomplishments and worldwide activities of individual members of the U.S. armed forces. Each year over 500,000 individual news releases are distributed to the 14,000 newspa-pers, television and radio stations subscribing to Hometown's free service.

The arsenal leadership wants to let our community know what you have accomplished and one of the methods we may use is the Hometown News Service program. This is a simple and efficient process that lets us tell our community and your family your news. This program is open to all arsenal civilian and military personnel.

The Hometown News Service program takes the information you provide and produces a short story, then they market that story to news agencies in your hometown areas. They do this with the information that you provide, so please be as accurate and thorough as you can. It will only take a couple of minutes to fill out the form.

Some of the examples for which you can fill out the Hometown News Release Form are:• Graduation from military schools• Promotions• Participation in major exercises or overseas deployments• Awards of Army Achievement Medal or higher• Retirement• Receipt of college degree, include field of study• Competition winners

HOW TO:Go to this link: https://jhns.release.dma.mil/public/form When filling out the form, YOU MUST enter "U.S. Army Watervliet Arsenal" as Post/Base and "U.S. Army Watervliet Arsenal" as the Unit.

From there, the form is self explanatory or you can hover over the question marks on the form for help. The form will be submitted for approval and then sent on to our local news agencies. Please ensure that you attach all supporting documents for the event for example: promotion orders, copies of the degree, copies of the cita-tion etc. Without these we can’t process your release. Picture attachments are encouraged.

The event or news should be recent. I would say within one week of the event so that your story will have a better opportunity to be picked up by the media.

If you need help or wish assistance filling out the form, please call or email the arsenal public affairs officer, John Snyder, at 266-5055 or [email protected]

Telling the arsenal, your story


In the early days of the Watervliet Arsenal, quality control was simple. During the 1800s, various sizes of cannon balls were manufactured to specifications that ensured that they could be safely fired in the field. Samples of artillery ammo were checked using “go/no go” wooden gauges that verified the diameter of artillery rounds. This simple, quality control method was critical because if the cannon ball was too large, it would not fit in the barrel. If too small, then there would not be sufficient pressure to push the ball out to the desired effec-tive range. One of the first 20th century practitioners of efficient production was Henry Ford. The Model T, manufac-tured from 1907 to 1926, became more profitable when in 1913 Ford implemented “Just In Time” manufactur-ing practices. Continuous car manufacturing occurred when a steady stream of uniform, interchangeable parts was assembled with standardized work procedures. In the 1930s, Taichi Ohno, a Toyota plant manager, came to the U.S. to study Ford’s techniques. Collaboration ceased with the start of World War II. During World War II, the U.S. faced a critical shortage of skilled workers as significant numbers of draft eli-gible men left the defense industry just as the government’s demand for ordnance materiel increased. To solve this problem, the Department of War created the Training Within Industry (TWI) program. TWI sent educated trainers to defense manufacturing plants to train inexperienced workers who were needed to replace the workforce now deployed overseas. These workers needed to quickly develop skills to manufac-ture war products; measure the quality of their work; evaluate the efficiency of their jobs; and find ways to im-prove their processes. By 1945, more than 1.5 million workers in over 16,000 plants were TWI certified. After World War II, the practices of the TWI program found fertile ground in Japan thanks to the U.S. Mar-shall Plan that focused on rebuilding the economies of Germany and Japan. W. Edwards Deming was an engineer, mathematician and physicist by training. He developed sampling techniques in the 1940s that he then applied to military production specifications, then called “American War Standards.” Deming’s philosophy of data analysis and quality control found its way into Japanese business, while he served on the staff of Gen. Douglas MacArthur in Tokyo as part of the post-World War II support of Japan. Deming’s model became Total Quality Management (TQM). In the 1950s, TQM and TWI were integrated into the Toyota car manufacturing model, which already included elements of Henry Ford’s efficiency innova-tions. These models evolved into the Toyota Production System (TPS). About 12 years ago, the U.S. Army introduced Lean Six Sigma as a continuous improvement model. The commonality between VE, LEAN and Six Sigma is the focus on reduction of waste. In the summer of 2003, the arsenal announced that it would adopt and implement this philosophy to eliminate waste in both manufactur-ing and administrative areas. By 2010, the arsenal reported that $20 million dollars in savings had been record-ed on just one product line ... the armor protection kit program. Adopting such wise business practices has ensured that during both good and bad economic times the arse-nal has stayed competitive. Since the 1800s, the arsenal’s collective effort to improve its processes has made it more attractive to those who wish to buy military hardware, as well as attaining hundreds of millions of dollars in cost savings and avoidance since the first days of operation on that summer day in July 1813.

Although the process has changed, our efforts to improve quality control

have notBy Mark Koziol

U.S. Army Watervliet Newsletter: The Salvo - 31 January 2014

News & Politics