Time for a change: SINCGARS shop streamlines processes

By Ms. Amanda Spock (CECOM)April 2, 2015

Time for a change: SINCGARS shop streamlines processes
(Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

TOBYHANNA ARMY DEPOT, Pa. -- Imagine a work area cluttered with pallets. Production flow is non-existent, so it's difficult to identify what's coming or going. Materials and final products are piled together to the point that it's impossible to determine what assets are complete.

An apt description for the AN/VRC-92F Single Channel Ground and Airborne Radio System (SINCGARS) center, until the team decided it was time for a change.

"When I first walked into the cost center, it was overwhelming," said Chris Simko, lead process improvement specialist. "Visual management didn't exist and it was hard to tell what type of product was being processed or how many assets needed to be completed by when. Everybody was working hard, but there wasn't enough organization to ensure efficiency in their efforts."

Determined to improve things, SINCGARS employees formed a team to implement necessary modifications. According to Work Leader Therese Paxton, the In/Out (I/O) Cell is the heartbeat of the SINCGARS workload. "It was vital we make changes to produce a quality product for our customers." Paxton works in the C4ISR Directorate's SINCGARS Section.

Prior to a process planning event the I/O Cell was in a constant state of activity. The event introduced a defined process flow that set the stage for standardization and organization within the cell.

SINCGARS personnel started using magnetic boards to display the new layout of the area. Visual markers established flow by designating pick-up and drop-off areas for different products including A-stock or finished products, F-stock items that require repair and G-stock products needing additional parts prior to shipment. The team began storing products on small, portable racks and in cages instead of using large, wooden pallets.

Simko noted that prior to the improvements, pallets kept accumulating on a daily basis. "Let's face it, if you don't have the same product going out as you have coming in you are going to have bottlenecks," he said. "Employees were frustrated. The lack of a process flow resulted in time wasted moving items while trying to meet schedule."

With the help of the Logistics Modernization Program (LMP), SINCGARS employees were able to develop separate schedules that help the team manage the product more efficiently. The LMP schedules are color coded and posted for employee access.

The team also applied visual management techniques to work order packages containing overhaul process information for radios.

"The packages are color coded to match the corresponding schedule," Paxton said. "As a work leader, this simple process helps maintain the production schedule," said Paxton.

As a result of the new process, the team established a daily material requirement. Space in the I/O Cell was transformed into a kitting area for radio overhaul components and a storage area for work-in-process material kits.

"Once the flow of materials and information through the cell was controlled and standardized, there was considerably less clutter with more room for employees to work," said Brian Rawhouser, industrial engineer. "The visual cues in the work area helped personnel consistently meet daily requirements. All of this was achieved just by managing the flow of work through the process without significant changes to the actual work being done." Rawhouser works in the Continuous Process Improvement Directorate.

Safety initiatives included installing a mobile ergonomic lift table to reduce bending for employees palletizing radio kits.

Improvements expanded into the nearby enclosure area where similar incoming and outgoing staging areas were designated for components such as circuit cards, power amplifiers, receiver/transmitters and vehicle amplifier adapters. Employees saved 10 minutes per kit by eliminating a non-value added step in the process.

Personnel also implemented an internal Lean initiative that changed the way test data about the AN/GRM-122 Radio Test System is shared with quality inspectors. Instead of printing and sending documents with the radios for inspection, digital test results are now available using dedicated computers, which are connected to several test systems and can run several tests simultaneously. The International Organization for Standardization 9001 compliant process eliminates idle printing time and generates an estimated cost savings of $35,000 per year.

"The project was a team effort," Paxton said. "We have to constantly ask ourselves, what can we do to be more efficient? With the increase in workload on the SINCGARS, it was vital to establish standard processes to improve schedule conformance and the quality of product."

Tobyhanna Army Depot is a recognized leader in providing world-class logistics support for Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) Systems across the Department of Defense. Tobyhanna's Corporate Philosophy, dedicated work force and electronics expertise ensure the depot is the Joint C4ISR provider of choice for all branches of the Armed Forces and industry partners.

Tobyhanna's unparalleled capabilities include full-spectrum support for sustainment, overhaul and repair, fabrication and manufacturing, engineering design and development, systems integration, technology insertion, modification, and global field support to warfighters.

About 3,100 personnel are employed at Tobyhanna, which is located in the Pocono Mountains of northeastern Pennsylvania. Tobyhanna Army Depot is part of the U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command. Headquartered at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., the command's mission is to research, develop, acquire, field and sustain communications, command, control computer, intelligence, electronic warfare and sensors capabilities for the Armed Forces.