FRCSE H-60 Program surpasses goal

This milestone brings the total number of aircraft produced for fiscal year 2007 to 40, two more than scheduled.

In a ceremony held at the FRCSE Site Mayport, Capt. Tim Matthews, FRCSE commanding officer, congratulated the H-60 personnel on their achievement.

"The celebration is all about the hard work that you all have done producing these fine helicopters to go back to the fleet, back to the warfighter," Matthews said.

"A lot of folks said it couldn't be done, but you all got to work, rolled up your sleeves, and made it happen. Whether you're a wrench turner or a PC, E and E, Q, or other support folks, you all had a hand in this achievement and I salute you."

Sequence 600, the 40th aircraft, sits outside the hangar, waiting to be delivered to the customer.

Also in attendance for the occasion was Cmdr. Graham Guiler, H-60 program officer, Luther McCoy, H-60 program manager and Lt. Dan Reid, HSL-60 squadron lead. Each expressed their gratitude for a job well done.

McCoy said, "I want to thank the team very much for all the work you've done. We couldn't have done it without you. And, I ask all of you to continue doing it, because we want to make sure our customers are satisfied and happy with our work."

Matthews challenged the team to continue finding new ways to improve their work processes and shorten the TAT even further.

"We can't rest now, however. This is an area of the depot workload that is going to continue to be strong. We've got more H-60's coming off the production line now, so this aircraft will need to be supported for many years into the future. We need to keep up the fine performance that you've demonstrated this year."

The H-60 team gathers together in front of Sequence 600, the 40th aircraft.

H-60 SBT is an Integrated Maintenance Program (IMP). The IMP workload is done in the squadron spaces, with the squadron retaining possession of the aircraft.

The FRCSE and squadron must coordinate their work schedules and negotiate any changes to that schedule. This makes their accomplishments even more noteworthy.

In April 2007, the H-60 SBT introduced the four "disciplines of execution" to the workforce and it is being used in conjunction with the command's AIRSpeed Program, which features Lean methodology.

Lean methodology cuts out waste in the repair process and the four disciplines of execution enhances that process by requiring the workforce to develop and focus on a few wildly important goals (WIGs).

Before Lean, the disassembly and assembly area was so congested that in order to move one aircraft, all had to be moved.

The H-60 SBT decided that their first WIG would be to sell one aircraft every 10 workdays and reduce the work in process to six aircraft. The second WIG was to reduce the average man-hours per aircraft by 10 percent below the workload standard.

The SBT developed a transition plan to reduce the work in progress from an average of 10 aircraft, to the goal of six. They examined the total workload package and established the TAT that would accomplish their goal. They created six work cells, one for disassembly, four for rework and modifications, and one for reassembly. They also examined their manpower requirements.

Next, they established start and completion dates for each aircraft. With a consistent timeline, the SBT and squadron can readily schedule other items, such as training and safety stand downs.

After Lean, the rearranging of the hangar spaces and the reduction of the number of aircraft in progress, the aircraft can be moved with minimal disruption to the rest of the repair line. All stands, cabinets and tables are on rollers to better facilitate aircraft movement.

One of the most crucial aspects was to negotiate with the squadrons when they would release the aircraft. All aircraft have a specific induction date, but that date is not necessarily the date that the SBT can start work. This meant that an aircraft would be sitting idle until the SBT was able to induct it.

By working with the squadrons and delaying the induction date, the fleet was able to utilize the aircraft longer before starting the repair cycle.

One of the biggest challenges was convincing the customer that the completion date would be met. The established TAT was 138 calendars days, with a squadron goal of 133 calendar days. The SBT's goal was to process the H-60 in 84 calendar days. Even with the induction delay added to their projected goal of 84 days, this TAT goal would still allow for completion well within the 133 day TAT requirement.

Historically, FRCSE required an average of 140 workdays for repair on the H-60 aircraft. FRCSE Site Mayport completed three in 97 workdays on average, with the last aircraft being produced in 60 workdays.

Since Lean and the four disciplines of execution are about continuous process improvement, FRCSE doesn't plan on stopping here. The H-60 fleet is counting on their ability to reliably return these precious assets to operational status on time, every time.

Prior to incorporating Lean, the squadrons occupied half of the hangar space.

The Integrated Maintenance Program involves military and civilian personnel working together in the same spaces to complete the repairs.