ANNISTON ARMY DEPOT, Ala. - As recently as two months ago, approximately 30 M1 Abrams turrets sat in storage awaiting disassembly. Today, thanks to hard work and additional space, a turret can be moved directly from its hull to a disassembly bay, greatly reducing the process' cycle time.
"We've been able to add more stands and we have cross-trained some people who were working on hulls to work on turrets as well," said Phillip White, supervisor for the turret disassembly branch.
Before the additional space was available, the movement of turrets down the aisle from hull disassembly to turret disassembly began by calling in the "buggy brigade" with a turret stand. Mechanics then coordinated the buggy with a crane operator who lifted the turret and placed it on the buggy.
A place in storage on a lot outside the building was located and the turret might sit there as long as two weeks before another buggy was called to deliver it to turret disassembly.
Now, one crane operator takes the turret off its M1 tank hull and transports it directly to disassembly, cutting out the storage process and saving time.
Completion of other programs, including disassembly of M-113 Armored Personnel Carriers, gave mechanics the additional space to add two turret stands, bringing the number to eight. Hard work on the part of the employees then brought the program up to speed.
"All of the employees have done a great job picking up the pace and getting caught up," said White. "We've still got our work cut out for us to stay on schedule."
Once in turret disassembly, it takes mechanics two to three days to completely disassemble each turret. The parts are sent to support shops throughout the depot where they are cleaned, repaired and refinished prior to assembly on a similarly restored turret.
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