AWARD: Center wins award for business innovation Published March 13, 2006 By Darren D. Heusel Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center Public Affairs TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- For the second straight year, the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Center has been recognized as an industry leader by winning the Charles B. Ryan Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul Award for Business Innovation from Aviation Week and Overhaul & Maintenance magazine. Tinker Air Force Base officials recently learned that the 76th Maintenance Wing won the 2005 award in the military operator category for its Maintenance Transformation Program. The award will be presented during Aviation Week's MRO Conference and Exhibition slated for April 25-27 in Phoenix, Ariz. "Our folks have stepped up to every challenge that's been placed in front of them time and time again," said OC-ALC Director Robert J. Conner. "Although I am absolutely delighted about this award, I can't really say I'm all that surprised. "Our people have worked very, very hard for a long time, but even more than that, they've worked intelligently and with tremendous precision and focus. They've come up with the right solution at the right time for all challenges and obstacles." The OC-ALC's Maintenance Transformation Program is designed to deploy a lean and cellular methodology to improve reliability, timeliness, cost and quality in support of the warfighter. The wing performs depot level maintenance, repair and overhaul of aircraft, engines and aerospace accessories to maintain and sustain the warfighter in times of peace and war. "This center is about all of us pulling together and how we fit into the grand scheme of our Air Force mission," said Brig. Gen. Larry Spencer, OC-ALC vice director. "It's the greatest feeling in the world for me to see this mission area being singled out as a top-notch performer. "The individual talents of our people are impressive, but what really impresses me about the work force is the willingness people have to work together as a team. According to Brig. Gen. Frank Bruno, 76th MXG commander, the wing was lauded for its innovation in transformation, the strategic effect transformation will have on improving MRO processes and facilities, and for its value to the customer. The general also cited the MRO transformation's financial impact to the center, its operational consequences in meeting the goals of Expeditionary Logistics for the 21st Century through continuous process improvement, and its enhanced safety campaign of ensuring a comprehensive program of inspections and monitoring actions from the onset. "Transformation is here and it's taking place in the ALC, the Air Force and in the entire Department of Defense," Gen. Bruno said. "We are evaluating our processes and applying the right improvement tools like Lean that will ultimately enhance our repair actions and improve our effectiveness and efficiency and, in turn, our overall performance. "That, in a nutshell, is really what transformation is all about. It's eliminating our wasted efforts, standardizing our processes and shifting our old paradigms to meet the challenges of the 21st Century." The 76th MXW, the largest industrial complex in the Air Force, has an annual operating budget in excess of $2.3 billion and is spread across 46 buildings with about 8,600 personnel. Last year, the wing developed and orchestrated the Air Force's first-ever enterprise-wide approach to an MRO transformation acquisition with a $500 million indefinite delivery and indefinite quantity contract through 2009, with an option to extend the contract an additional five years. Officials have said the estimated payback on that investment is about eight years, with an overarching transformation plan savings of approximately $1.1 billion. "You can't transform unless you have people willing to change and make things happen," said 76th MXW Deputy Director Al Rich. "Our people are immersed into the transformation efforts to ensure we are on the right track in the ALC. Their hard work is invaluable as we move forward on that track at a pretty good clip. "We've won numerous awards over the past several years because the men and women of Tinker take pride in serving the best Air Force in the world. Last year, the OC-ALC and Pratt & Whitney received the prestigious Charles B. Ryan award for their work in partnering with the F-100 engine. "It's our duty in the ALC to constantly refine and sharpen our processes," Mr. Conner said. "We have to look at things with an eye for constant improvement, constant renewal of anything that has become stagnant or has created a logjam. "Operational commanders rely on us. We help sharpen the point of their sword, thus, we have a critical role in keeping America's Air Force at absolute peak readiness and we're doing exactly that."