ANNISTON ARMY DEPOT, Ala. -- When a defect is found on the M16 assembly line in the Small Arms Repair Facility, small arms repairers use the Electronic Maintenance Inspection Data Analysis System to report the problem and track its resolution.
EMIDAS has been in use at Anniston Army Depot since 2007. Originally implemented on the M1 Abrams line, the program is now used with every vehicle and weapons program on the installation.
The system allows reporting of all parts and components not meeting specifications at any point during repair or overhaul.
"Before EMIDAS, defect data was hand-written and coded. The handwriting was, at times, difficult to read and the code numbers were not always transcribed as they were intended," said Randy Houck of the depot's Directorate of Engineering and Quality. "EMIDAS helps provide the information needed to reduce the number of defects our customers would see otherwise."
Jenny Grasser, chief of DEQ's Quality Assurance Division, said EMIDAS is a real-time system, relaying information the moment it is input.
At the point where an issue or defect is detected, the employee has the option of making the necessary repair, if they have the necessary tools, parts and skills, or sending it to another work area where the repair can be made.
The system uses drop down menus and a small number of text fields to describe the weapon or vehicle system in question, the part or component with the defect and what is wrong.
This simplicity makes it easier for the Small Arms workforce to report 100 percent of the weapons touched by the facility.
In addition to assisting employees with reporting and tracking defective parts, the system can create charts showing trends in the issues reported.
"When supervisors have their huddles in the morning, they are supposed to brief their performance boards, which showcase the EMIDAS charts," said Grasser.
The program records more than things that go wrong. It also records when repairs go well.
First pass yield data is recorded in the system, showing the percentage of weapons and vehicles which pass through testing the first time.
"Lately, we have input more good EMIDAS reports than bad," said William Tinney, the small arms repair lead for the M16 line.
"EMIDAS is a good system," he added. "It gives us the ability to track repairs and supplies us with responses from supervisors and lead people."
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