The 526th Electronics Maintenance Squadron is one of four finalists for "Aviation Week's" 2009 Laureate Award in the Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul, or MRO, category. This award was conceived more than 50 years ago to recognize the extraordinary achievements of individuals and teams in aerospace, aviation and defense.
The Ogden team was nominated by the director of the Aerospace MBA program at the University of Tennessee for their impressive achievements in aircraft ground power generator MRO improvements in quality, cost and delivery in 2009.
The 526th EMXS is part of the 309th Electronics Maintenance Group within the 309th Maintenance Wing. The primary focus of the 526th EMXS is airborne and ground power generators, and directly supports the A-10, B-1, B-52, C-5, C-130, KC-135, E3A, E6B, F-4, F-5, F-15, F-16, F-22, UH-1, HH-60 and the T-38 as well as providing aerospace ground equipment to all weapons systems. The 526th EMXS is the premier overhaul and repair organization for airborne and ground power generators; thus playing a critical role in supporting the Air Force mission around the globe.
The men and women of the 526th EMXS have made great strides by implementing the 309th Maintenance Wing commander's vision of improved compliance and efficiency. Brig. Gen. John B. Cooper instituted this effort under the title "Aerospace Maintenance Quality Standard." The AMQS is a new compliance/process standardization method developed by Jim Diamond of the 309th MXW's engineering staff office (a 2006 graduate of the University of Tennessee Aerospace MBA program).
The AMQS not only focuses on product improvement, but also the roles and responsibilities of all members of the organization to ensure an efficient organizational construct. Another aim of AMQS is to ensure that every organization is inspection ready every day as required by the new no-notice command inspections. In summary, the vision of AMQS is to make certain that parts are produced in compliance with tech data and regulations, in the most efficient manner, by people who have well defined roles and responsibilities.
The nomination of the team validates the continuing education program to which the 309th MXW is committed. Tim Gray, the 526 EMXS director, is also a 2008 graduate from the University of Tennessee Aerospace and Defense MBA Program. Upon assuming his duties, he immediately applied the principles and theories he learned during his course work to improving the organization.
The most important part of this effort was ensuring a total team effort within the generator's squadron. The squadron focused its efforts on improving both the ground power and airborne generator flights through "pathfinder" improvement efforts. This culminated with the officially sanctioned AMQS pathfinder which focused on the B-52 Stratofortress generator, but was applicable across all airborne generators. Prior to the pathfinder, the organization struggled with back orders, long flow days, parts shortages, and cost and quality performance problems.
Starting in October 2008, the 526th EMXS director championed and led a transformational change in unit culture and unit work processes. The team applied lessons learned resulting in decreased back orders and flow days while increasing throughput and workload capacity. They limited inducted work to a manageable quantity of assets. This reduced daily Work-In-Progress assets by 35 percent (from an average of 1,200 to 780 items). The team then identified nine critical problem areas and performed root cause analysis and systematically worked solutions.
A key component of this was partnering with the Air Force Global Logistics Support Center and the Defense Logistics Agency to review material supportability and to identify areas for improvement in forecasting and delivery of piece parts. This continuous improvement effort across both production and support flights to include enterprise-wide stockholders yielded phenomenal benefits for all. The 526th EMXS was able to produce 22 percent more generators with a workforce that was reduced through early out retirements. Not only was production improved, but it was done so at a reduced cost and with increased quality. The true winner is the warfighter and the American taxpayer.
Cooper, 309th MXW commander, is driving these transformational processes and culture changes derived from AMQS throughout the 309th MXW enterprise. The compliance, cost, quality and efficiency benefits of AMQS also drive intangible benefits in innovation, employee ownership and improved morale as the workforce is empowered to make a measurable difference in protecting the American way of life.
Although there were many involved in the success of this effort, the core team is made up of the 526th EMXS Director and Team Lead Tim Gray, Exchangeable Production Support Chief Dave Wright, Airborne Generators Production Flight Chief Anna Milburn and Planning Support Chief Dale Harvath.
The Ogden team has been invited to attend a dinner and awards ceremony on March 17 at the Andrew Mellon Auditorium in Washington D.C., where the winners of each category will be announced. This awards ceremony is the industry's premier event -- attracting scores of industry pioneers and leaders from around the world. The Ogden team will find themselves in good company with nominees from other categories such as the International Space Station team members, and the crew of US Airways Flight 1549, who successfully landed their distressed airliner on the Hudson River.
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