u.s. army newsletter from the watervliet arsenal - april 2016

SALVOU.S. Army Watervliet Arsenal

April 2016

S to r y on Pa ge 3

What made America great?Dreamers, Tinkerers,

and Artisans

To o l m a ke r Ro b e r t Fo u r n i e r

Salvo April 30, 2016

The Arsenal Salvo is an authorized monthly publication for members of the Department of Defense. Contents of the Salvo are not necessarily the official views of, or an endorsement by the U.S. Government, the Depart-ment of Defense, the Department of the Army, or the Watervliet Arsenal. News may be submitted for publication by sending articles to Public Affairs Officer, 1 Buffington Street, Bldg. 10, Watervliet, NY 12189, or stop by office #102, Bldg. 10, Watervliet Arsenal. The editor may also be reached at (518) 266-5055 or by e-mail: [email protected]. The editor reserves the right to edit all information submitted for publication.

Commander, Col. Lee H. Schiller Jr.Public Affairs Officer, John B. SnyderEditor, John B. SnyderPhotographer: John B. Snyder Arsenal Facebook Page @https://www.facebook.com/WatervlietArsenal?ref=hlCover photo by: John B. Snyder

ColonelLee H. Schiller Jr.

CommandingManufacturer 6

Commander’s Corner

The month of April signifies much more than a simple changing of the seasons and the transition from snow blowers to lawn mowers. It also signifies an important turning point in the manufacturing calendar when our fiscal year is now more than half over. I have been told by many, at least from the non-skiers, that this past winter was the best season in many years in that they did not have to lug their snow blowers out of storage to clear walkways and driveways. I have even heard from some of you who said that they started up their snow blower during the last snow storm to hit here ear-lier this month only to move the oil around the engine and to burn up old gas. Nevertheless, it has been a quiet winter. But beyond the ending of the winter season, is also the end of the second quarter of the fiscal year. We are now in a race against time to close out this fiscal year, which ends on 30 September, on the best financial footing and on-time deliv-ery rate possible. We know through 202 years of experience, that what we do in the first half of the fiscal year has a significant effect on how we will close out the year. After all, it is extremely difficult to make up for lost time or dollars in just six months. It doesn’t mean that we cannot im-

prove our financial and delivery environment, because we can, but we need to start now. Every missed opportunity to reduce our cost of operation, from reducing overtime to energy reduction, will weigh heavi-er on our shoulders each month as we attempt to close out this

year. Additionally, every missed scheduled delivery will also impact the revenue generated. So, now is the time to collectively, and ener-getically move forward to ensure that we make all deliveries on time and do so with great efficiency. As many of you know, I will turn over command on July 28 to Col. Joe Morrow. At that point of the fiscal year, there is very little we can or he can do to influence the outcome of FY 2016. We owe it to him, as well as to the Arsenal’s legacy, to make a stand now to influence a positive outcome in the next few months, while setting the conditions for success for FY 2017. I understand that this time of year brings tremendous pressures, some of which I have previously stated, on you to perform at your very best. But performing at peak

energy does not mean that you do so with a reckless disregard for your safety and that of your teammates. Please take great care in all that you do and keep a close eye on your fellow teammate.

mailto:[email protected]


Story continues on page 4, “Artisans”

By John B. Snyder

Michael Pantuosco, left, taking a few minutes to provide fourth-year apprentice Jonathan Morehouse machining guidance in the tool room. Pantuosco is the acting tool room supervisor and Morehouse will graduate from the apprentice program this August.

Photo by John B. Snyder

A roomful of Dreamers, Tinkers, and Artisans

The Watervliet Arsenal was built during the War of 1812 at what was then the strategic crossroads of early America. But just as important as its location, which is near where the Hudson and Mohawk rivers flow, was its ability to hire dreamers, tinkerers, and artisans — the people who built America. More than 200 years later, this historic Army arse-nal continues to attract the 'makers of things' from the community and as a consequence, thousands of U.S. troops will continue to safely come home from battle because they will have the finest made weapon sys-tems in the world. A lot has changed since that warm summer’s day in 1813 when the Arsenal began its manufacturing support to the nation’s young army. In the beginning, the Arsenal’s mission was to produce ammunition and small articles of equipment for the Army. Today, the

Arsenal manufactures large caliber weapons items, such as the cannons for tank and field artillery sys-tems, as well as the mortar tubes for the U.S. military and its allies. But what has not changed over the centuries is the Arsenal’s ability to recruit and maintain a highly-skilled workforce who can take a piece of raw stock steel and turn it into a highly prized weapon, a weapon that Soldiers never question in the heat of battle. The nearly 150 machinists and machine tool opera-tors who are today’s artisans work in multiple shifts forging, heat treating, machining, and quality inspect-ing more than $130 million of products every year. But as good as these folks are, on the second floor


Artisans Cont.


of a production building that was built at the height of World War I is an eight-man team of apprentices, machinists and toolmakers who truly epitomize the es-sence of a machinist. “These guys are our Top Guns, our Seal Team Six,” said John Zayhowski, machinist supervisor, as he tried to put into context the value this group of eight have on the Arsenal’s manufacturing lines. These eight make up the Arsenal’s tool room operation. If people are not familiar with a manufacturing center, they probably think of a tool room as simply a place where everyday tools are stored. But unlike the tool rooms set up in garages across the country, this tool room’s mission is to design, create, machine, and repair fixtures, gauges, and parts for the 600 machines that make up the Arsenal’s production floors. According to Anthony Polsinelli, acting general foreman and former tool room supervisor who has been a toolmaker at the Arsenal for more than 34 years, “This team is so good that if someone comes to them with only a mental picture of what needs to

be machined they not only can make it, but will also make it better than what the person had imagined.” These tool room machinists work in tolerances that are so tight that they are measured in the hundreds of thousandths of an inch, and some of the products they machine are so specialized that it may take them up to one year to produce, Polsinelli said. When the tool room machinists aren’t making or repairing fixtures and gauges, they are working on prototype projects, as well as repairing parts for manu-facturing machines. “Some of our machines are decades old and we cannot find repair parts because the original manufac-turer has gone out of business or the original manufac-turer doesn’t make the part anymore,” Polsinelli said. “Sometimes, someone will walk into the tool room with nothing more than broken pieces of a part and we will reverse engineer that part so that we can keep the machine running.” Michael Pantuosco, the current tool room supervi-sor, said that what makes the tool room so effective is the combination of great machining talent and team-work. “Although the eight guys may be working on in-dependent products, they are always watching out for each other,” Pantuosco said. “When someone looks like they may need help, there is no shortage of assis-

Story continues on page 5, “Artisans”

If people are not familiar with a manufacturing center, they prob-ably think of a tool room as simply a place where everyday tools are stored. But unlike the tool rooms set up in garages across the country, the Arsenal's tool room’s mission is to design, cre-ate, machine, and repair fixtures, gauges, and parts for the 600 machines that make up the Arsenal’s production floors.

Here, fourth-year apprentice Nathan Coryea, left, is working with first-year apprentice Derrell Barefield in the tool room. For the current class of first-year apprentices, their first machinist cuts were made in the tool room.


tance from the team members.” Last month, Toolmaker Robert Fournier was ma-chining a set of broaches that will one day cut the ri-fling, which is the interior grooves in a howitzer barrel that imparts a spin to a projectile, on a new product line for the 155mm Paladin howitzer. Given that each 155mm tube must have 47 broaches cut the inte-rior grooves, Fournier ensures the broaches are of such high qual-ity that they cut perfectly every time. Fournier is staking his career on just cutting broach-es. He said that because the product is so important to the Arsenal’s production that it gives him a tremendous sense of sat-isfaction and pride knowing that every field artillery piece made will have his stamp of quality on it. The Arsenal’s manufacturing leadership also lever-age the great machining talent in the tool room to in-vest in the future. “We have turned the tool room into a training ground for future master machinists,” Pantuosco said. “At any given time, you may find up to four appren-tices working side-by-side machinists who are at the top of their skill.” Earlier last month, three fourth-year machinists, Jonathan Morehouse, Nathan Coryea, and Colin Mc-Carthy were learning the machining trade from tool room machinists and toolmakers. Those apprentices have spent nearly half of their apprentice years, about

4,000 hours each, in the tool room. “These guys (tool room machinists and toolmakers) are the best,” Morehouse said. “But one of the things that I have enjoyed most here is that we are forced to think outside of the box to solve problems and do so under great time pressures.” McCarthy echoed Morehouse’s comments by say-ing his opportunity to solve problems was one of the things he liked best when working in the tool room. Additionally, McCarthy truly enjoys the variety of

machining challenges that his team faces every day. “Rarely do we work on the same type of machining requirement from day to day,” McCar-thy said. “The dynamic na-ture of the tool room means that priorities often change, because we may be work-ing on one product only to shift our ef-

forts to another project if a production line may be at risk of a stoppage.” Sadly, as good as this team is in regards to machin-ing talent, it is not on the tour route for senior military leaders when they visit the Arsenal. Not that any one of the eight team members is seeking the limelight or the pat on the back, but what they do every day to keep products moving and machines running is nothing less than spectacular. They truly add to the Arsenal’s rich history of risk takers, doers, makers of things, and especially, those obscure men and women who have not settled for any-thing less than providing the highest quality products in the world for our troops. Just as their predecessors did in 1813, they are still building America.

Artisans Cont.

From right, Apprentice Program Supervisor John Zayhowski checking a cut that an apprentice just made, while first-year apprentices Jeffrey Empie, Derrell Barefield, Victor Bryant, and Jamey Gray look on.



Much of the new, larger contracts have been to repair and manufacture tubes and bore evacuators for the M109 howitzer system, as seen above.

The Army’s Watervliet Arsenal just received two contracts valued at more than $15 million that will help retain critical war-fighting manufacturing capability in upstate New York, said the Arsenal’s director of operations.

“The two contracts will require the Arsenal to manufacture chrome-plated cannon tubes and lightweight bore evacuators for the 155mm self-propelled howitzer system,” Tom Pond said. “The shear scope of the manufacturing requirements and the duration of the contracts will exercise several of the Arsenal’s critical skills that it is fighting to maintain during a drop in Army requirements.”

Diane Nelson, the Arsenal’s program manager for the orders, said that unlike many other orders the Arsenal receives, this is guaranteed work because the arsenal has received full funding from the Army for

both contracts. Delivery of the bore evacuators will begin in July 2017 and the tubes in October 2017.

The tubes and bore evacuators will go directly to troops in the field, Nelson said. The tube order is for approximately $10.1 million and the bore evacuator order is for approximately $5.2 million.

What makes these new contracts so significant is that in an era of fiscal uncertainty in the U.S. defense budget these contracts will require more than 49,000 direct labor hours, Nelson said. The majority of the direct labor hours will help retain the Arsenal’s critical skill capabilities for manufacturing large caliber weapons components.

The Arsenal has identified 11 critical skill capabilities that it needs to retain in order to continue as the Defense Department’s large caliber weapons manufacturer of choice. Not all production requirements

$15M in new work will help retain critical war-fighting capability at Watervliet

By John B. Snyder

Story continues on page 7, “Paladin”


exercise all of the 11 core capabilities the Arsenal seeks to retain and so, that is the value of gaining work that ensures the Army’s manufacturing center at Watervliet retains a warm base of capability to respond to any crisis.

Pond said the new work requirements will add to the more than $32 million in new contracts the Arsenal had received earlier this year for work that for the most part will be performed in fiscal years 2017 and 2018. Each new fiscal year begins on October 1.

Last September, the Arsenal announced that it received Army approval to manufacture full-bore chrome plated tubes for the 155mm howitzer system, Pond said.

Chrome plating has proven in field tests to extend the wear life of the tubes by up to 50 percent. Additionally, the chrome plating will make it easier for soldiers to maintain by reducing the amount of erosive residue that results from firing inside the tube’s chamber.

The lightweight bore evacuator is a new product line that was started for the self-propelled howitzer system to replace a legacy version of the evacuator that was fielded decades ago. This new evacuator will reduce the weight of the current version, which is made from steel, from 203 pounds to about 110 pounds for the new fiberglass

version. Making the gun system lighter is only secondary, however, to the effect of making a rather difficult maintenance job much easier for the artillerymen.

The Watervliet Arsenal is an Army-owned-and-operated manufacturing facility and is the oldest, continuously active arsenal in the United States having begun operations during the War of 1812. It celebrated its 200th anniversary on July 14, 2013.

Today’s Arsenal is relied upon by U.S. and foreign militaries to produce the most advanced, high-tech, high-powered weaponry for cannon, howitzer, and mortar systems. This National Historic Registered Landmark had revenue in fiscal year 2014 that exceeded $117 million and provides an annual economic benefit to the local community in excess of $100 million.

The Arsenal has recently completed testing of Electralloy's furnaces to support 155mm tube forging operations. Electralloy has a public-private partnership with the Arsenal.

Paladin Cont.


Albany County Citizen of the Month

On April 12, Albany County Executive Daniel McCoy traveled here to award Arsenal Commander Col. Lee H. Schiller Jr. the county's Citizen of the Month Award for his and the Arsenal's support to the com-munity. By the end of Schiller's three-year com-mand, the Arsenal will have supported more than 180 community events.


The American Legion’s National Commander set the tone immediately upon his arrival here on April 14 by stating, “We are partners.” Dale Barnett, the National Commander of The American Legion, took a detour during his three-day visit to New York to check out the Army’s oldest, continuously operating arsenal -- the Watervliet Arsenal. He was elected national commander of the 2.2 million-member American Legion on Sept. 3, 2015, in Baltimore during the 97th National Convention of America’s largest veterans organization. During the visit, Barnett received overview briefings from the arsenal commander, Col. Lee H. Schiller Jr., and from Lee Bennett, the director of the Army’s Benét Laboratories. Beyond the briefings, Barnett witnessed tubes being forged at 2,000 degrees, barrels being straightened with presses exerting hundreds of tons of pressure, quality control processes, and a variety of products in Benét Lab’s product display area. This was Barnett’s first visit to the Watervliet Arsenal, or to any Army arsenal for that matter.

Story continues on page 9, “Legion”

American Legion's National Commander makes his first tour ofWatervliet Arsenal

For the last two years, the Arsenal has had visits by the

American Legion's state and national commanders

By John B. Snyder

Photos by John B. Snyder


Barnett said on several occasions that he is concerned for the Army’s readiness, as well as the Arsenal’s readiness, to support surge operations. In answer to that line of questioning, Arsenal leadership touted the value of maintaining an Army-owned and operated manufacturing center as a way for the Army’s Organic Base to keep a warm base of skills readily available. Several examples of the Arsenal’s rapid response to the needs of the troops, from up-armored kits for light-skinned vehicles in 2010 to the bunker-buster bomb developed here during the first Gulf War, were highlighted by all who briefed. Although the Arsenal may not have answered all of Barnett’s concerns about the Army’s overall readiness, the Arsenal’s leadership feels confident that Barnett believes the arsenal remains ready to respond to the needs of the nation’s troops. Just as it has for the last 202 years.

Legion Cont.

Albany Devils Military Appreciation Game

Photos by John B. Snyder



LEAN Corner...By Mark Ripley

So, Your Process is Fragile? Good!

Lean Thinking is often common sense. The trick is seeing the waste. But sometimes Lean is un-common sense. For example, Lean says it’s wrong to make your processes robust. It’s much better to design your processes to be fragile. What?! That certainly goes against historical manufacturing common sense.

It’s like a “fragile” inflatable boat (like a Zodiac) compared to a “robust” steel hulled boat. You will have to pay close attention to the Zodiac, keep it pumped up and put on some patches as time goes by but you can ride any wave and never sink. The heavy, expensive steel-hulled boat will plow through waves without a second thought. But the first big wave that comes over the top will sink it like a stone.

A catastrophic failure is much less likely if your process is designed to be fragile. It breaks early, but it breaks small. You could make the process fragile by eliminating in-process inventory cushions, built-in time for rework or machine downtime, and, as painful as it might be, eliminating overtime.

Yes…as soon as you have problems, the process will be interrupted. But this allows you to solve problems while still small and to do so quickly. You will never have a catastrophic failure that you did not see coming.

So, how do you design a process to be fragile?

1. Start with people. Train your team to be problem solvers. The leader’s response to problems will help them to welcome the opportunity to problem-solve rather than just finding yet an-other work-around.

2. Design a way to see problems. Develop visual controls that make problems easy to see and check actual production against the standard to catch problems early. (Ask three simple ques-tions – 1. Is there a standard? 2. Was the standard followed? 3. Update the standard?)

3. Implement a corrective action process. You need a pre-defined mechanism to elevate the prob-lem to the right people. In the middle of a problem is not the time to figure out the process.

4. Respond to problems quickly - every single time. Encourage a “servant leader” mentality where the main purpose is to make the process easier and safer. Leader standard work is criti-cal.

Ironically, a process designed to be fragile, properly maintained, will be much more robust over the long haul than a process designed to be robust. Plus, it will cost less, your people will be more engaged and quality will improve.


Know the left and right limits of your participation in partisan

political activitiesBy Cherish T. Gilmore, Army Materiel Command Public Affairs

As the presidential election nears, personnel should re-visit the regulations that govern military and all Federal civilian employees concerning their participation in the political process. The Hatch Act restricts the political activity of Federal civilian employees, including Department of the Army Civilians. The law was amended in 1993 to allow most employees to engage in certain types of political activity while in their personal capacity. DOD Directive 1344.10 outlines rules governing political activity by members of the armed forces. “Neither the Hatch Act nor the DOD Directive 1344.10 restrict civilian employees and military members from exercising their right to vote,” said Lawrence J. Wilde, Army Materiel Command’s ethics counselor. The restrictions pertain to participation in partisan political activities. “We encourage voting,” said Wilde. “Know the left and right limits of your participation in partisan political activities. If you’d like to become involved with a political campaign, it’s a good idea to seek advice from your legal office first.” Understanding what restrictions can apply depends on your status as a federal employee. The Hatch Act classifies employees into two groups: a “less restricted” group and “further restricted” group. “The vast majority of DOD employees are classified as less-restricted employees,” explained Wilde. “Further restricted employees include career senior executive service employees, political appointees, and employees of certain federal agencies like the National Security Agency, Federal Bureau of Investigation and Defense Intelligence Agency.” Less restricted employees may actively participate in partisan political activities such as making phone calls for a candidate in a partisan election, working for a political party to encourage voting, or handing out campaign literature. The Hatch Act dictates, however, that none of these activities may be done while on duty or by using their official position, in a federal building or vehicle, while wearing a federal uniform or insignia, or by using official resources, like computers. “Although employees may contribute money to candidates, no federal employee, military or civilian, may solicit or accept cam-paign contributions at any time,” said Wilde. “So, for example, if a civilian employee is working the phone bank for a candidate, they may not read any part of a script that solicits contributions even though the employee is off duty and totally anonymous to the poten-tial voter.” This also applies in the world of social media. “Employees may not forward by email or social media any websites or posts that solicit or contain a link for campaign donations,” said Wilde. The rules for further restricted civilian employees and military personnel are stricter. Both must refrain from any political activity that could associate DOD with a partisan political candidate, group or activity. “This means that military personnel may not campaign for a political candidate in a partisan election, speak at a partisan political gathering, hand out campaign literature, or solicit campaign contributions,” said Wilde. “They may not place a political sign on the lawn of their government quarters. On social media, they may follow, friend or like a party or a candidate, but may not post, forward, share, or re-Tweet links and comments from them. If a member of the military or a further restricted civilian employee ‘likes’ a candi-date or political group, the privacy settings on social media sites should be changed to preclude others from seeing these preferences.” Wilde singled out four rules to keep handy for all federal employees and military members: - Do not solicit campaign donations on or off duty. - Do not wear campaign buttons on duty, in a federal facility, or in uniform. - Do not forward partisan political articles, websites, or political cartoons while on duty, in a federal building, or using a government computer. - Do not invite subordinates to political events, or use your rank or official position in any way to influence the political process. Violations of the Hatch Act are investigated by the Justice Department of Office of Special Counsel. Punishments include the full range of administrative disciplinary action, to include removal. Members of the military may face discipline for violating DoD Directive 1433.10 and pertinent provisions of the Uni-form Code of Military Justice.


Arsenal Appreciation Night with the ValleyCatsSaturday, 27 August

at 7 p.m.

• The arsenal has coordinated with the Tri-City ValleyCats baseball organization for the 8th Annual Arsenal Appreciation Night.• Game is on Saturday, 27 August, at 7 p.m. • Department of the Army Civilians and arsenal family members may purchase a "Reserved Box" ticket for only $5.50 (42% discount). These are great seats in Section 250. • All Military Veterans will still receive a free ticket.• You may also purchase a reduced meal voucher for only $3.50 This voucher is good for one hot dog, small soda, and a bag of chips.

Save-the-Date

Tickets will soon be available

u.s. army newsletter from the watervliet arsenal - april 2016

Government & Nonprofit