Air Force Materiel Command news service (Nov. 3, 2005): center redesign promises to improve production.

TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. (AFPN) -- Continuous process improvement is alive and well at the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center. For proof, look no further than the 76th Maintenance Wing's new F100 Business Unit being stood up as part of a landmark $500 million, 10-year process of transforming maintenance, repair, and overhaul, or MRO operations.

Just four months have elapsed since the OC-ALC kicked off its MRO transformation initiative. But already the center is showing steady progress with redesign efforts of building a leaner work environment designed to produce world-class products on time and on cost. The center is one of three Air Force Materiel Command air logistics centers.

As the F100 Business Unit continues to prepare for additional swing space cell moves, one of the biggest reasons for the team's marked success to this point has been taking lessons learned from previous Lean initiatives and incorporating those into the new designs.

"As with everything we do at the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center, our focus is on finding better, more innovative ways to support the warfighter," said Brig. Gen. Francis M. Bruno, 76th Maintenance Wing commander. "Certainly, the transformation is driven by that focus."

Signs of the transformation are most visible in an area that once contained the F100 high-pressure turbine and high-pressure compressor shops, which are now shrouded in white plastic curtains stretching from the floor to the ceiling to prevent foreign object damage.

Behind the curtains, preparatory work is being done to an area that will house the F100 inlet fan disk cell, one of the center's first cells under the MRO transformation initiative.

To date, the 76th Maintenance Wing, 448th Combat Sustainment Wing, 327th Aircraft Sustainment Wing, and the 72nd Air Base Wing have been working closely with their MRO contractor partner, Battelle, and its team of subcontractors to complete the removal of the area's former infrastructure to make room for the current redesign elements.

"If we streamline our processes, cut down on flow times, and give the mechanics what they need when they need it to get the job done--and done right the first time--the warfighter will benefit," Bruno said. "That's why we're transforming Tinker."

The government/contractor team is working closely together to come up with the best solutions to complete the project. An integrated product team structure feeds into the Depot Maintenance Transformation Board, which is accountable to a process council.

The curriculum includes an introduction to Lean/cellular, employee readiness, and cell operation implementation training. The training prepares employees to design and operate in their new cells.

"Traditionally, this ALC, like any other MRO facility, was set up as a functional organization," said Robert Longoria, a Standard Aero employee who works as a design lead for Team Battelle. "But based on past experiences, Tinker has decided it was worthwhile to take Lean to the next level.

"The bottom line is you're going to get a better-quality product without asking the employees to work any harder because they have better facilities to work in. That makes the employees more open to embracing the change," he explained.

"When you first come to work here, there are a lot of things you question looking from the outside in," said Anthony Velasquez, an engine process analyst in the engine transformation office who has experienced transformation firsthand.

Velasquez said the greatest lessons learned from the past were that communication needs to be a constant at all levels, and employees on the floor who know the process need to continue to bring ideas forward.

During the transition, the center must also keep up with production.

"It's been said by our management that this could be compared to riding a bicycle and changing a flat at the same time," said Stan McKinney, backshop unit chief for the F100 inlet fan disk cell. "We still have to support the warfighter, but at the same time transform."

"On the positive side, this Lean cell transformation is allowing us to better support the warfighter by making better-quality products," said Barbara Wilson, an aircraft mechanical parts worker in the engine transformation office. "You have more time to spend on that product because you have everything you need in a central location.

"You also have an opportunity to provide input, and it's important to know that what you say does matter. I think it's a great thing to have everything you need right there in your own shop. You see the transformation from start to finish."

In all, seven business units are scheduled for transformation by March 2016. And while the total projected investment in the overarching transformation is estimated at $496.6 million, officials hope to recoup the entire amount in just eight years by virtue of increased efficiencies.

The business units include F100 engines, Pratt & Whitney engines, GE engines, tanker aircraft, surveillance aircraft, bomber aircraft, and commodities.

Heusel is with 72nd Air Base Wing, Tinker AFB, Okla.