EMXG deploys science behind AFSC philosophy

Published Feb. 19, 2016
By Jenny Gordon
Robins Public Affairs

ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. -- Ensuring accuracy, monitoring and gaining control of production flow, having a clear picture of where assets are, and giving clear expectations to team members -- those are just a few principles deployed in one 402nd Electronics Maintenance Group squadron.

While the Air Force Sustainment Center's Art of the Possible has matured in areas like the 402nd Aircraft and 402nd Commodities maintenance groups, for nearly a year the 566th Electronics Maintenance Squadron has fully embraced the art and science behind AoP's philosophy and production methodologies.

C-12 Gyro
Several production lines in the 566 EMXS Gyro Shop, in particular with C-12 gyros, have been working since May to slowly drive a process change that has recently experienced meaningful, successful results.

The squadron is responsible for many of the Air Force's aviation electronics repairs on the C-130, C-17, F-15, A-10 and other weapon systems.

Flow days have decreased in the C-12 Gyro line, from about a 60-day average to producing an asset in 17 days -- a 43-day reduction.

A successful day in the shop at Robins means assets can get back to the field where they're needed, thus ensuring success in the missions downrange.

"Not only are we getting these assets through here more quickly and more efficiently, we're also saving Air Force dollars," said Richard Orta, 566 EMXS Scheduling Element chief.

"For C-12 gyros, what we've noticed is the constraint continuing to drop," said Orta, referring to the production operation's weakest link. "We want that constraint dropping -- which means we have a healthy machine."

The shop currently has zero backorders. Controlling the work-in-progress or number of assets at any one time in the shop, which formerly numbered in the 40s, has also been reduced to about 14 at any given time.

"Just like aircraft, when they limit the number of aircraft they're allowed to work in any gate, we're doing the same thing," said Carol Ercey, 566 EMXS Exchangeable Product Support Center chief.

C-12 gyros are a critical avionics component the shop's technicians repair and maintain for the Air Force's C-130 Hercules. They are simulated within the shop's production gates, where they're meticulously calibrated, repaired, tested and sealed before return to the supply chain.

"These gyros basically control the pitch and yaw of an aircraft. That's why they have to be so precise," said Elvis Bryant, 566 EMXS Radar supervisor. "When you're flying, you want to make sure your wings are level. You don't want to have the plane pitch at the wrong angle -- it's got to be right."

Pitch and yaw refers to a plane's stability and control, how it moves and rotates up and down, and from side to side.

Defining a clear picture
In the beginning, in reorganizing its shop's production lines, there wasn't a clear picture of what was needed to produce an asset within a month, for example. Instead of saying 30 units needed to be produced in 30 days, the science of Little's Law was implemented, which examines the fundamental relationship between WIP, throughput and flow time.

This relationship is critical because when you let the system work the way it's supposed to, while it will take time, you will see results.

Instead of a monthly goal for C-12 gyros, technicians focus on a daily unit goal. Its current requirement is to produce two units per day.

"That number keeps my assets flowing properly through the machine, which in turn gets your flow days down to a constant," added Orta. "If I have assets flowing all the time, I never have assets just sitting. That's what was hurting us before."

"Everyone on the team knows exactly what they need to do today," said Ercey, "and if they had a successful day yesterday."

In the AFSC's AoP playbook, all production systems include an average throughput, a WIP and flow time. The organization's leadership model emphasizes speed, quality, safety and cost effectiveness in its operations. Like many squadrons across the Warner Robins Air Logistics Complex, the 566 EMXS conducts daily morning tier meetings, holding team members accountable for production numbers. They pour over charts that detail flow days and WIP, discussing asset requirements and performance levels.

An exciting revelation from the production line in Bldg. 158 is the control of assets that are inside its facilities. No longer are there 1,000 units in the building -- that number has been drastically reduced to fewer than 300 units - with higher productivity as a result.

"It goes back to the science of the AFSC Way and AoP," said Orta. "It tells you if you have too much WIP that you're going to fail, bog the system down. So we lowered that WIP and now we're increasing our throughput."

"It really has worked," said Ercey. "That gets you the team buy-in, because once they see it does work, then everyone embraces it."

C-12 Gyro repair