OIB guarantees Army readiness

By Ms. Kara Wall (AMC)July 29, 2016

OIB guarantees Army readiness
Lt. Gen. Larry Wyche, Army Materiel Command deputy commanding general, speaks to around 30 business developers from Army Materiel Command's 23 Organic Industrial Base facilities at the Advanced Business Development Course on Redstone Arsenal, Alabama... (Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

The Army Materiel Command has the unparalleled ability to guarantee the Army's readiness through the power of its Organic Industrial Base -- a National Security Readiness Insurance Policy, said AMC Deputy Commanding General Lt. Gen. Larry Wyche.

As the war-driven workload declines for the OIB, AMC business developers are forging new partnerships with industry to keep labor costs down and unique artisan skillsets high.

Around 30 business developers representing AMC's 23 OIB facilities attended an Advanced Business Development Course at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama, July 26-29, which featured briefings from AMC leadership and branding and marketing experts.

"What you do as a business developer is critical to the readiness of the greatest Army in the world," said Wyche, who oversees the OIB. "Don't ever take lightly the contributions that you make as part of the Organic Industrial Base."

Wyche told the class that their contributions save Soldiers' lives.

"I know firsthand the impact of what you do. I have been in the Korangal Valley of Afghanistan. I have been in Iraq. I have been on the receiving end of everything you provide our Soldiers," Wyche said. "Today, I want to say on behalf of all of our Soldiers, thank you for what you do in the OIB."

The four-day course equipped the business developers with the tools and confidence to identify, pursue and secure new work for their facilities.

The OIB needs new partnerships to keep production lines hot, tooling modernized and skilled artisans employed, said AMC Principal Deputy for Operations and Logistics James Dwyer.

Carryover, or the OIB's booked work orders, is critical to keeping costs down and skillsets ups, Dwyer said. New partnerships with both government and industry will keep the OIB alive and ready to meet any requirement to surge at a moment's notice.

"Business development helps us keep the OIB affordable," Dwyer said. "The OIB keeps Soldiers alive."

Workload from 2007 to 2009 tripled for the OIB as battle-worn equipment returned from austere environments to be repaired and reset. The OIB, without skipping a beat, successfully surged to meet the requirement, said Dwyer.

In Fiscal Year 2015, AMC had 290 Public-Private Partnerships with an estimated government revenue of $262 million.

Industry and government entities interested in partnering with the unique capabilities of the OIB should contact the AMC partnership program manager at (256) 450-7808 or visit www.amc.army.mil/amc/partnershipopportunities.html.