Lean Six Sigma Saves Lives

case_1_mrap_production_improvement.pdf

Problem

The MRAP vehicle is a huge (up to 14 tons), heavily armored, personnel carrying vehicle that has been used in Iraq to protect soldiers and Marines from attacks by crude but effective, homemade bombs known as Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs). In 2007, production of this vehicle was one of the highest, if not the highest, priority within the entire United States Government. (See Figure 1.)

The Department of Defense (DOD) was responsible for managing the MRAP program. Actual authority for the program resided with a joint program office within Marine Corps Systems Command (Quantico, Virginia) which was under the oversight and direction of the Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Research, Development and Acquisition (ASN (RDA)). Other major organizations involved in the program included the Department of the Army, the Department of the Air Force and the U.S. Special Operations Command.

By virtue of its ability to withstand attack by IEDs which were responsible for 70% of the casualties in Iraq , the MRAP vehicle was quickly identified as a critical asset in modern warfare. It eclipsed other conventional military transport vehicles such as the High Mobility Multi Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV) in its ability to withstand IED threats, and, in the metric that mattered most, saving the lives of American servicemen and women.

Demand for MRAP vehicles increased significantly and virtually overnight. From an initial acquisition of 200 vehicles in late 2006 for the Marine Corps, demand grew to a total of more than 15,000 vehicles for all services by early 2007. In response to growing public concerns about the adequacy of U.S. warfighters' field resources and protection, the DOD set a goal of delivering 1,500 MRAP vehicles to Iraq by December 31, 2007.3 Achieving this mandate required a ten-fold increase in production from five vehicles per day to 50. The magnitude of this challenge was massive. The program was very complicated due to the fact that four different original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) produced the MRAP at different locations across North America. The individual vehicles from these private-industry suppliers were similar in design, but were not identical. Lastly, the final steps in completing each MRAP (the integration of navigation and communications equipment) took place at only one Government facility.

That facility was the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center (SSC) located in Charleston, South Carolina. The Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWAR) managed this facility. Due to the variations between the vehicles, integration of the navigation and communications equipment proved to be a very complex process. To meet the ten-fold increased production goal and to overcome the subordinate challenges resulting from lack of a common vehicle design, SSC leadership turned to the proven process efficiency and quality improvement methodology they had heard about from other organizations within the Navy—Lean Six Sigma (LSS).

Approach

The first action taken was to develop a High Impact Core Value Steam (HICVS) map. Its purpose was to create a top-level picture of the entire MRAP production enterprise that enabled leadership to see gaps in process, feedback, relationships and policy, and other key dimensions of the enterprise. (See Figure 2.) Once these gaps were identified, their effects on the overall enterprise were assessed,. These assessments established a sound basis for assigning priorities for follow-on "deep dive" analyses and focus areas.

The HICVS map provided the ASN (RDA) a clear picture of the state of the overall enterprise at the outset of LSS application. One key finding of the HICVS map was that it clearly identified the Charleston facility as the "Enterprise Constraint," meaning that it was the most significant choke point in the entire enterprise. Charleston required immediate attention. Typically, once a HICVS map is produced, hypothesis testing is conducted prior to implementing changes in order to enable leadership to recognize risks and opportunities for improvement in the existing operating environment. However, gaps were so apparent -- and time such a critical element -- that the ASN (RDA) moved quickly to implement solutions for improving the MRAP operation at Charleston.

To start, Charleston formed a "process improvement team fully devoted to Lean Six Sigma activities." The team included specially trained process improvement personnel known as black belts and green belts, all working under a master black belt coach. The team began its work by focusing on design of the production lines (of which there were 25) and, in particular, on the two stations which were resident in all of them.

Four key LSS events focused on: point-of-use hardware 5S (sort, set in order, shine, standardize and sustain), navigation and communications equipment delivery, implementing TAKT boards to monitor process output, and communicating and standardizing Quality Assurance Inspections across all 25 integration lines.

In all, a total of 57 projects were identified from the HICVS analysis and from holding an executive planning session with Charleston's senior leadership. These projects were captured using a Benefits and Efforts chart that provided the team a "battle map" to use to attack the most significant issues. (See Figure 3.)

Results

The results of the LSS activities were profound. The MRAP production lines were transformed from messy and disorganized to neat and efficient. Standardized production support fixtures were introduced. (See Figure 4.)

The LSS team was able to achieve the goal of 50 integrated MRAP vehicles ready for shipment to the warfighter by December 5th 2008. In fact the capacity that was created exceeded demand with production, at times, reaching 69 vehicles per day. 8 This 10 to 14-fold improvement in production was made using the same 25 production lines and workforce.

Much more importantly though, the increased quantities of MRAP vehicles delivered to Iraq saved American lives. In June 2008, USA Today reported that roadside bomb attacks and fatalities were down almost 90% partially due to MRAPs. "They've taken many hits, many hits that would have killed soldiers and Marines in unarmored HMMWVs," according to Admiral Michael Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Major General Rick Lynch, who commanded a division in Baghdad, told USA Today the 14-ton MRAPs have forced insurgents to build bigger, more sophisticated bombs to knock out the vehicles. Those bombs take more time and resources to build and set up, which gives U.S. forces a better chance of catching the insurgents in the act and then attacking them.

This case shows how using the Lean Six Sigma method to eliminate waste directly saved the lives of warfighters while simultaneously getting the most out of every tax dollar spent The MRAP program has been an unqualified success for both the U.S. military and the taxpayer. (See Figure 5.)