ANNISTON ARMY DEPOT, Ala. -- The problems were numerous -- an old building, repair and testing processes that were spread through several buildings and an outdoor range, a long round-trip drive with security each time weapons needed to be taken from or delivered to storage or the outdoor firing range and old equipment in need of frequent maintenance.
The solution was simple, build a new, state-of-the-art facility large enough to hold every process necessary to overhaul or repair small arms weapons.
Two years after Anniston Army Depot broke ground on its new Small Arms Repair Facility, a crowd of dignitaries and employees gathered in the building's assembly area to cut the ribbon, officially opening the facility Jan. 20.
"The age of the former facility and the cost of operations and upkeep of the plant made it more economical to modernize the facility and update the processes," said Tim Spivey, process optimization manager for the Component Subassembly Division.
Spivey and Jeff Bonner, chief of the depot's Weapons Division, said much of the equipment in the new facility is based on the same technology as the old, but won't have the frequent maintenance requirements of the older equipment.
Not all of equipment was replaced because of age. Some processes were updated to be more efficient and environmentally friendly.
"We went from a steam induction heating process in the vats for the metal plating processes to an electric induction heating process that is more energy efficient," said Bonner.
The cleaning processes are now safer and better for the environment as well.
To clean individual parts for the weapons required trichloroethene, a degreaser commonly known as TCE, in the old facility.
"We replaced a cleaning process that used TCE, which is very hazardous, with an ultrasonic cleaning process to clean all weapons parts," said Spivey.
The depot also reduced its environmental footprint by reducing travel time.
The facility is now co-located with the Defense Logistics Agency's weapons storage facility. This is beneficial for security reasons as well as a reduction in transportation costs and time.
Before this change, movement of weapons necessitated two people -- a driver and an escort. Now, one person can transport the weapons on a forklift between the storage facility and the repair facility.
"From a security standpoint, having the storage facility attached to our building is huge," said Spivey.
The main contractor on the project was Southeastern Industrial Construction Company, which had a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design specialist on staff, a benefit because the facility was designed to achieve LEED silver certification, the third highest designation.
"LEED certification is a requirement from the Department of Defense. Any new construction has to be at least LEED silver certified," said Hermanski Patterson, a project manager for the Directorate of Public Works. "We used a lot of recycled materials in the construction and implemented a number of energy saving products."
One LEED initiative, aiding in the facility's efficiency is the location of a firing range that can be used to test targeting and accuracy on all weapons inside the building.
"We could do the targeting and accuracy indoors only on two weapons systems in the old facility. Now, with the technology we have, employees are able to test all the weapons inside," said Spivey.
Additional LEED projects included energy savings in the form of insulation; an energy efficient heating, ventilation and air conditioning system; and the fact that 95 percent of all equipment is metered, enabling depot employees to check and manage energy consumption.
The biggest benefit of the 83,349 square foot space, however, is its ability to house nearly every process needed.
"We have a lot of our processes under one roof now, instead of spread throughout four or five buildings," said Bonner.
And with its flexible floor plan, the Small Arms Repair Facility can be reconfigured whenever necessary.
"Look at the capabilities built into this new facility, especially the flexible manufacturing capabilities that allow employees to do one thing one day and work on another weapons system the next day," said Michael Viggato, deputy to the commander for TACOM Life Cycle Management Command, in his remarks during the ribboncutting ceremony.
The depot's commander, Col. Timothy Sullivan, echoed Viggato's sentiments, saying the driving forces behind construction of the new facility were the modernization of the Army's industrial base and improved, more efficient processes.
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