FORT RILEY, Kan., Aug. 26, 2011 -- A little-known facility located at Marshall Army Airfield is making a big impact on the local and regional economy, as well as saving taxpayers money, according to its shop supervisor, Maj. Luke Foster, with Advanced Turbine Engine Army Maintenance.
The Advanced Turbine Engine Army Maintenance, or ATEAM, employs about 90 Kansas Army and Air National Guardsmen and women, with a payroll totaling about $6.2 million. It is a military special repair activity and is one of two operations in the world that can produce the new Total InteGrated Engine Revitalization, or TIGER engine, Foster said.
The company is tasked with the job of rebuilding and supporting the M1 Abrams main battle tank power plant; rebuilding transmissions, giving the facility the capability of producing full-up power packs to zero-hours condition; and rebuilding engines for the Regional Sustainment Maintenance Site, Fort Riley, in support of its 900-series truck rebuild program.
The ATEAM's workforce is expected to double within the next five years, Foster said, with projections of annual funds received and disbursed at $40 million; annual payroll at more than $8 million; and the addition of 80 employees to complete current contract demands.
In 2004, the ATEAM was approached by the Tank-automotive and Armaments Command, or TACOM, Foreign Military Sales Division about rebuilding AGT 1500 engines for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. More recently, the ATEAM has been working with TACOM to provide full-up power packs for 314 of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's M1 Abram tanks by December 2016, resulting in up to $170 million for parts, labor and contracts coming through the ATEAM's 50,000-square-foot facility.
"Over the next five years, we will probably have about $170 million of operating capital that will be distributed throughout Kansas and the nation," he said.
In order to complete the work, the ATEAM will need to hire the additional Soldiers, and possibly civilians, for a three-year period, Foster said.
TIGER PROGRAM -- FUTURE FOR THE TANK FLEET
The ATEAM utilizes the TIGER program -- a life-cycle management approach to improving operational readiness and durability of the AGT 1500 tank engine, while reducing operating and support costs. This strategy involves performing a one-time "refresh" to every engine in the fleet, creating a single standard engine, and then maintaining the refresh using condition -- or fact-based maintenance principles to gather data.
By utilizing the TIGER initiative, the ATEAM will be able to save taxpayer dollars by repairing or replacing parts based on known facts and life-cycle statistical data, Foster said.
OTHER WAYS TO SAVE
When engines come into the ATEAM's two adjacent facilities and get torn down into various parts, the company reutilizes in the neighborhood of 600 of the 1,200 engine parts by cleaning and vigorously inspecting them with the use of nondestructive testing, Foster said. The parts also are coordinate measured with a coordinate measuring machine, oil flowed, hardness tested and balanced before putting them back into the engines.
In the inspection and verification section, each part is checked to rigorous standards through a database and inspection criteria to ensure it can be reused, he said. About 483 of the engine's parts are mandatorily replaced.
"Reused parts actually save the taxpayer money," Foster said. "If the part meets inspection criteria, it gets approved and tagged, and it's put into the equipment on-hand supply. If it fails, it washes out, and we turn it back into the Army system, and they turn it into scrap.
"We do a tremendous amount of analysis on what normally causes failures, so we try to do all the tests we can to try to eliminate failures. We warranty our engines for five years or 1,400 hours, and we're the only repair activity that does that."
Another example of innovative cost-saving measures, according to Foster, is the price of a forward header on an engine. Brand new, the part sells for about $22,000, he said. The ATEAM developed a repair process for forward headers in conjunction with a Topeka-based company, where the parts are brought back to zero-hours condition for about $8,000.
"That's quite a bit of savings realized just by doing that," he said. "It benefits Kansas companies by doing this, and it also saves the Army, and ultimately, the taxpayer money."
After the parts are run through the verification and inspection section, they go into supply or allied trades. In the allied trades section, defected or flawed parts are repaired either in house or sent for repair to Topeka or different companies throughout the nation, he said.
"If it's not good, we wash it out. We obviously have to be very strict on the parts we use because our warranty is so strong," he said. "We have never had a catastrophic failure to date, with over 1,000 engines provided to the Army National Guard, the Army, Marine Corps and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia."
ENSURING DURABILITY
In addition to performing nondestructive testing on its parts, the ATEAM also does oil analysis to ensure its products' reliability.
"As part of our warranty program, we ask our customers to provide us with oil samples on a set basis, and we do our own analysis on them," Foster said. "If we detect any problems, obviously, we can go out and address the issue."
During engine and transmission assembly, each station has a set of work instructions telling the technician how to build it, what measurements to take and the serial number for parts.
"The whole thing is tracked," Foster said. "We are in charge of the entire process, and that process is what gives us our ability to maintain the quality that we provide to the customer. Quality is what we offer, and also cost effectiveness."
Before leaving the facility, each engine and transmission is given a health test using a dynometer to ensure it was put together correctly, and, if there are any issues, they can be found before the product is shipped to the customer.
JOINT PARTNERSHIP
In addition to building and rebuilding engines, the ATEAM also recently assisted Fort Riley's Safety Office with inspections and testing of its many weapons parts, like the M2 50-Caliber barrel extensions and 81mm mortars to ensure safety during training exercises, Foster said.
"We have a good working relationship with Fort Riley," he said. "(We have) always had things come up where we can help them and they can help us. Usually if a tank unit is out in the field, and they have an issue, or have a need for a part or if something goes down, they can come out here, and we will get them taken care of.
"That good working relationship results in employment opportunities and economic impact with Fort Riley and the surrounding area."
Foster said he considers the ATEAM's workforce as the "best of both worlds."
"We have the Midwestern work ethic with the Army attention to detail that creates a high-standard product," he said.
The ATEAM currently has 10 job openings, with eight of the 10 positions open until they are filled. At this time, those applying for jobs do have to members of the Army or Air National Guard.
For job listings and to apply online with the ATEAM, go to www.kansastag.gov.
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