Rapid Repairs for Army Vehicles
U.S. Army combat vehicles are returning to action faster and in better shape because ITT Industries mechanics are using a NASCAR "pit stop" approach for repairs.

Imagine the frustration NASCAR racers would feel if each pit stop took a few hours -- instead of a few seconds -- because their crews had to wait for parts to be delivered and for inspectors to show up.

That's the same frustration U.S. Army leaders experienced when it came time to bring their combat vehicles in for repairs or upgrades. The deliberate, check-everything-twice repair process that worked well during peacetime was not keeping pace with the higher volumes of vehicles coming in from the combat theaters in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Many of these trucks, tactical vehicles and Humvees are serviced by ITT Industries, Systems Division personnel at the U.S. Army facility in Fort Bragg, North Carolina. And they are returning to action faster and in better shape because Systems personnel at Fort Bragg recently developed and adopted a "pit stop" approach to repairs.

"When you are servicing a 10-ton vehicle, you can't turn it around in 16 seconds like they do with racecars, but you can cut days out of the repair process by removing inefficiencies," says Gil Desjarlais, one of the maintenance supervisors at Fort Bragg.

Two roving Lean experts from ITT Industries -- Gary Lieser and Joseph Abbud -- came to Fort Bragg and worked with the Process Improvement Team (PIT Team) to develop a value stream map of the old repair process. Using this mapping technique, the PIT team identified various reasons behind the backlogs. The parts-ordering process was one of the biggest culprits, so they created pre-packaged, ready-to-go repair kits that are rolled to the bay with mandatory replacement parts for that vehicle type. If a part is not in the kit, the mechanic hits a few buttons on the in-bay Automated Logistics Information Management System (ALIMS) and the part is delivered shortly, without the mechanic ever leaving the bay or stopping work on the vehicle.

The mechanics approach the repairs like NASCAR pit crews. Different crews specialize in different vehicle types. They "swarm" the vehicle in teams -- accompanied by inspectors who check the work as it’s completed -- and do in-the-neighborhood repairs. If mechanics have a wheel off to repack the bearings and see something nearby that could be a problem, they don't wait for another inspection -- they fix it.

In keeping with the NASCAR theme, the teams track repair and turnaround times with detailed "dashboards." Supply delay time -- the time a vehicle waits for a part -- has dropped 80 percent. "Wrench turning time" or the actual working time on each Humvee has dropped nearly 50 percent. And Fort Bragg is turning around more than 60 percent more vehicles for the Army per month.

The concept has been so successful that other Systems Division service and repair operations in Kuwait, Qatar and  Fort Carson, Colorado, have begun implementing their own "pit stop" processes and teams.

But the most important measurement is increased customer confidence. "We've had huge customer buy-in," says Ericka Jones, ALIMS development manager. "Army commanders who used to dread repairs are now insisting their vehicles get into our shop because they know they'll get quick service and high-quality vehicles that can better withstand the rigors of combat duty."

At Fort Bragg, Systems repair mechanics not only approach repairs like NASCAR pit crews -- swarming the vehicles in teams and supported by read-to-go parts kits -- they dress like them, with NASCAR-themed uniform patches for the various teams.