Photo By Kimberly Koonce | Cynthia Hargett, FRCE production controller, searches for an aircraft part using the...... read more read more
Military airplanes and helicopters are made up of thousands of parts, and when those aircraft come in for maintenance or repair, somebody has to account for each and every one of those parts throughout the entire rework process. At Fleet Readiness Center East (FRCE), that organizing challenge is being managed using a new software application called WISK, short for Work-in-Process Inventory, Storage and Kitting.
The WISK application provides parts accountability, auditing, inventory control, accumulation of parts as production assembly kits, online queries, and report capabilities. WISK went live at FRCE June 4, replacing the previous Automated Storage, Kitting and Retrieval System (ASKARS) software that had been used for years at FRCE. Leonard Domitrovits, director of the Components Division within FRCE’s Maintenance Repair and Overhaul Production Department, said the improvements in efficiency created by replacing ASKARS with WISK should result in better service for fleet customers.
“The customer wants to bring more work in at a reduced cost, because they can only afford so much,” Domitrovits said. “Every efficiency that we can get gives the customer an opportunity to generate increased readiness. Giving them more for less cost should be our goal.”
The various parts of WISK can be found all over the FRCE plant, from the main production hangars to the component shops to a large warehouse built for long-term storage. Production controllers – who manage the flow of parts and labor within the organization to ensure production lines run smoothly and efficiently – call up parts on their computer terminals. Once the system receives these instructions, robotic arms zip along rows of storage bins nearly 40 feet high to find the requested items, returning them to the controllers in less than a minute. The system includes nearly 10,000 bins to house parts of all shapes and sizes.
The WISK system gives production controllers a place to track and store parts, but it also allows them to create “full kits” – signaling when all the parts required to reassemble a component or aircraft are available in WISK, whether they have been repaired, purchased or supplied. When a full kit is ready, planners can schedule that component for rework in the production shop, according to Rick Haskett, WISK Production Control supervisor at FRCE.
“The computer knows where all the parts are stored, and once all the parts are accounted for in WISK, then it signals we have a full kit,” Haskett said. “At that point, the planner decides when to pull the parts from the system and schedule the work back into production.”
WISK provides the same massive storage capacity as its predecessor ASKARS. When using ASKARS, however, most of the tracking and record keeping was performed manually by production controllers, according to Domitrovits.
“I’ve heard it called mandraulics. Things you have to do manually, things you’re always trying to track with lists and spreadsheets and everything,” he said. “Now WISK has the capability to do all those things for you, which makes it much more efficient.”
The Naval Air Systems Command’s three depot-level Fleet Readiness Centers have been planning for WISK implementation for about five years. Cynthia Hargett, FRCE production controller, has been involved in the planning for the last three years. She said the communication and teamwork between the three FRCs contributed to the quality of the WISK system.
“A lot of people might have thought we were alone in implementing WISK, but the enterprise really came together,” Hargett said. “We may do things a little differently, but when it comes down to the basics, we’re all in the same system and we’re trying to accomplish the same goals.”
Software support is part of the WISK system. Production controller Jordan Lewis said the development team listened to the quality of life suggestions from WISK users, and it’s evident in the resulting product.
“They keep updating our software, which makes it easier for us and for the people on the floor who are going to use these reports,” Lewis said. “We’re coming more into the modern day with WISK. We see some improvements for sure in the new version, and life’s good.”
FRCE is North Carolina's largest maintenance, repair, overhaul and technical services provider, with more than 4,000 civilian, military and contract workers. Its annual revenue exceeds $1 billion. The depot provides service to the fleet while functioning as an integral part of the greater U.S. Navy; Naval Air Systems Command; and Commander, Fleet Readiness Centers.
| Date Taken: | 08.27.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 08.27.2021 11:47 |
| Story ID: | 404023 |
| Location: | CHERRY POINT, NORTH CAROLINA, US |
| Web Views: | 75 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
This work, Automated parts storage system improves efficiency at FRCE, by Kimberly Koonce, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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