Army Improves Humvee Refit Efficiency

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Army Improves Humvee Refit Efficiency
Army News Service | October 12, 2007


WASHINGTON -- The Army has cut to a fraction the time it takes to rebuild battle-damaged Humvees with a new assembly-line process at Red River Army Depot, Texas.

Red River today was one of 12 Army commands to receive the Shingo Prize Public Sector Award for Excellence in Manufacturing and Achievement, called by Business Week “the Nobel Prize for Manufacturing.” And Red River was one of only three Army depots to receive Shingo’s Gold Medal.

In 2004, Red River was overhauling only about three Humvees per month, according to the Army Materiel Command. Now an average of 23 rebuilt Humvees roll out of the depot daily.

Lean Six Sigma principles were used to transform business practices at the depot, Red River Commander Col. Douglas Evans told an audience Wednesday at the “Warrior’s Corner” exhibit at the Association of the U.S. Army annual meeting.

“We could not have accomplished this without the help of every employee,” Col. Evans said. He added that when he arrived at the depot two years ago, he told everyone the he was “all about changing people, or changing people..” He said employees embraced the mindset of business transformation and now he has staff members with yellow, green, brown and black belts in Lean Six Sigma.

Red River, near Texarkana, runs both a reset and recap program for Humvees. Under recap, the Army is changing old Humvees to one of the new variants, Col. Evans said. Under reset, the Army is rebuilding up-armored Humvees damaged in Iraq and Afghanistan.


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