ARSS new build partnership successful

By Ms. Jacqueline Boucher (CECOM)August 6, 2015

ARSS new build partnership successful
(Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

TOBYHANNA ARMY DEPOT, Pa. -- Soldiers in the field can fix everything from trailers to tanks when armed with a deployable, self-contained repair shop.

Tobyhanna Army Depot joined forces with Product Manager for Sets, Kits, Outfits and Tools (PM-SKOT) in Warren, Michigan, and Edgewood Chemical and Biological Center (ECBC) at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, to design and build a new Armament Repair Shop Set (ARSS). The partnership is the result of a "make or buy" analysis with government and contractor facilities.

Students attending the Ordnance School in Fort Lee, Virginia, are training on the first ARSS system that rolled off Tobyhanna's production line this spring.

"We couldn't be more pleased," said Larry Rigsby, assistant product manager for the ARSS. "The system was completed on schedule and the comments we've received from the Soldiers going through the training have been very positive about the quality of the asset."

The ARSS system is a one-sided expandable repair shop shelter, mounted on a 7.5-ton trailer that is transported by a 5-ton vehicle. The shelter contains a 10 kilowatt generator for shop power, as well as an environmental control unit (ECU), an assortment of tools and cabinet storage. It will provide field-level maintenance for armament weapon systems.

Depot personnel are already working on the second repair shop.

PM-SKOT manages over 50 of the U.S. Army's Combat Engineer and Ordnance sets, kits, outfits and tools, providing industrial-quality tools with lifetime warranties to the warfighter. In response to the Army's push to ensure the future force is prepared to defend the nation, the organization set out to identify a source of supply for the system that was cost efficient and reliable. Team Tobyhanna was rated highest among 23 submissions from depots, arsenals and commercial firms.

Officials remarked that depot personnel responded to the study in an effort to provide the warfighter and U.S. taxpayer with a cost-effective solution.

Tobyhanna's proposal development team consisted of specialists, technicians and business development personnel. Their approach was to develop a public-private hybrid proposal that combined Tobyhanna's premier organic design engineering, fabrication and integration services, with the private industry's most cost-effective material sources (e.g. hand tools), according to Robert Katulka, director of the Production Engineering (PE) Directorate.

"The team is very proud to have the opportunity to work on this project," said William Long, System Assembly Branch chief. "We are committed to continuous process improvement and finding ways to keep costs and repair cycle time down."

Employees in a number of depot shops work together to build the system. The large components are delivered to the depot, while everything from painting to assembly is accomplished on site. The tools, valued at $90,000, will be provided by a commercial vendor.

"Tobyhanna will fabricate more than 200 parts for each system," said Brian Weiss, logistics management specialist. "The trailer is purchased through contracting and the customer provides the shelter, generator and ECU."

According to Rigsby, PM-SKOT, ECBC and Tobyhanna have established a collaborative partnership enjoying outstanding communication and cooperation through the entire process. Team members were able to validate technical data packages, solicit development for contracting, brainstorm problems, and develop solutions during initial production.

Tobyhanna engineering specialists provided their expertise in preparing the drawing package to meet program standards.

"We reviewed all the drawings," said Jay Ceriani, mechanical engineer, PE Directorate. "The customer did a great job with the design, we just needed to tweak it to get to a manufacturing level thereby providing them exactly what they need and want."

Electrical Engineering Technician Brian Kroll verified the drawing package from an electrical standpoint. "It feels good to see everything come together," he said.

The collaboration and communication continues through bi-weekly integrated product team conferences, Rigsby added, noting that the depot immediately initiates contact with PM-SKOT and

ECBC for assistance with drawings or assembly plans that needed correction or revisions.

Subsequent production and fielding of mobile repair shop will ensure the warfighter has the most modern and capable support facilities available, resulting in improved readiness and warfighter capability, he explained.

"We started with six systems this year," Weiss said. "Workload will increase to 30 systems next year and there's the potential to build over 1,000 assets in the future."

Tobyhanna Army Depot is a recognized leader in providing world-class logistics support for command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance 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 logistics support for sustainment, overhaul and repair, fabrication and manufacturing, engineering design and development, systems integration, post production software support, technology insertion, modification, foreign military sales and global field support to our Joint 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, Maryland, 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.