March 08--Letterkenny Army Depot will be building generators that ground crews will use to troubleshoot helicopters.
The $97 million contract will save the jobs of more than 60 employees who previously refurbished aging aviation ground power units.
The Letterkenny shop began working on the units in December 2005. The depot extended the life of the units, and that success led to additional work of refurbishing them.
When the Army urgently needed additional inventory, the program manager asked Letterkenny to become the original equipment manufacturer for the E-Model AGPU.
Officials held a ribbon cutting ceremony with employees on Thursday.
"It's you, your creativity, manpower, innovative ideas to be faster, better, and cheaper -- that's the heart of what we do," said Col. Anthony Potts, program manager for Aviation Systems. "You are the unsung heroes to the guys in the field as they have blind faith that the piece of equipment they turn on will work and work well."
Letterkenny employees also developed a complete technical data package for the units.
"Over years of service, the AGPU has gone through various upgrades and modification, which lead to a piecemealed tech data package that had gaps in the information," Letterkenny commander Col. Cheri Provancha said. "Letterkenny engineering personnel have been correcting and developing drawings to make a complete, synchronized and correct package, which will provide a step-by-step on how to build an AGPU."
The shop won a bronze Shingo medallion for manufacturing excellence in 2011.
Letterkenny will continue to develop in-house manufacturing capabilities on sub-assemblies and wiring harnesses, Provancha said.
The AGPU contract runs through mid-summer 2013, with a possible extension. The work is divided $85 million for U.S. armed forces and $12 million in foreign military sales. The program manager is based with Aviation Ground Support Equipment in Huntsville, Ala.
"All of this success does not happen with idle hands, or people working as individuals," Provancha said. "Members from across our depot and command came together as a team to provide this product to our armed forces."
Letterkenny and its tenant agencies north of Chambersburg employ about 3,700 employees. Together they comprise the largest employer in Franklin County.
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Jim Hook can be reached at 262-4759 and [email protected].
Copyright 2012 - Public Opinion, Chambersburg, Pa.
