ONLINE EXCLUSIVE: Lean and Cultural Change: Tobyhanna Army Depot
Lea A.P. Tonkin, editor in chief
Maintenance and repair operations have their own unique challenges when striving to apply lean principles. It’s tough for auto mechanics to standardize and streamline their operations when their work varies so much. One day, it may be changing the oil in a Volvo; and the next, it is rebuilding the engine in a classic Mustang.
Imagine the challenges when you don’t know whether you’ll be repairing a massive radar system or a handheld radio. That’s the environment that Tobyhanna Army Depot encounters every day.
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| The AN/TPQ-36 Firefinder Radar is designed to detect and track incoming artillery fire. |
Tobyhanna is the U.S. Defense Department’s (DoD’s) main center for maintenance and repair of command, control, communications, computer, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance weapons systems. Its product mix includes everything from a Firefinder Radar system used to detect incoming mortar attacks to avionics navigation equipment and night vision gear. With scores of customers across DoD and thousands of contracts, Tobyhanna has such a diverse product mix that it bills itself as the world’s largest job shop for electronics.
When faced with rapidly accelerated work requirements tied to the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, Tobyhanna’s employees quickly learned which lean tools are a “good fit” for their work environment. Some of Tobyhanna’s “good fits” were standard work for common processes, cell-specific toolboxes to eliminate clutter, color-coded visual management, and production control boards for all work areas.
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| Personnel from Tobyhanna received a Gold Shingo medallion for their work on the Firefinder Radar. From left: John Scott, electronics technician; Matt Herlihy, electronics technician; Chris Ackerman, electronics leader; and Robert Katulka, director, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance. |
Tobyhanna’s process improvement successes include a 1,400-percent increase in throughput for the AN/TPQ-36 Firefinder Radar, from one system in FY04 to 15 systems in FY06. A number of factors contributed to this achievement, including cellular manufacturing, one-piece flow, and pull systems. Most notable was Tobyhanna’s innovative partnership with all members of the overall Firefinder logistics team: the original equipment manufacturer, Raytheon, and the customer, the Army’s Communications Electronics Life Cycle Management Command. This joint venture allowed for an open line of communication and horizontal integration among all stakeholders and ensured that quality assets were delivered to the warfighter when most needed.
Along the way, the Tobyhanna team has earned five Shingo medallions. It has also changed its culture. As radar technician Matt Herlihy said, “Lean has been a major factor in getting more of a better quality product to the warfighter.”
Indirect evidence of Tobyhanna’s culture change: the motivation of one employee who eagerly volunteered to participate in a kaizen (improvement) event. “When I didn’t get selected for a promotion, they told me I hadn’t done enough to improve processes, so I want to get involved in this stuff,” the employee said.
While Tobyhanna’s lean deployment is a work in progress, the depot’s commander, Col. Charles C. Gibson, has no doubt the company will stay the course. “It's hard work,” he said. “You have to be relentless, always driving lean thinking in all that we do by the questions you ask and the example you set. As a leader, you have to demonstrate to employees that this is our long-term commitment."
