INDUSTRY INSIGHT


FIGURE 1


LESS WORK TO DO


Production throughout the combat vehicle industrial base has dropped dramatically since the MRAP spike in 2008. This graphic, for example, represents with different colors the workload for the variety of vehicle programs at BAE Systems’ York, PA, production facility. In response, BAE Systems is working to maintain the resources it will need to prepare for future work. (SOURCE: BAE Systems)


platforms or to design the vehicles of the future. Te skill sets in our engineer- ing team, our manufacturing plants and those of our suppliers are rare; it takes years to develop the expertise to sustain world leadership in combat platforms for the U.S. military. As an example, fully training and certifying an expert ballis- tic welder, a skill that is already becoming scarce within the industrial base, requires an investment of at least three years. How will we ensure that that skill is available and that the capability to train future generations survives?


IDENTIFYING THE CHALLENGES As we deal with increasing pressure to right-size the business, we see very sig- nificant challenges


in three areas: our 150 Army AL&T Magazine January–March 2015


production capability and capacity; our integrated engineering design, develop- ment, integration and test capabilities; and our supply base. With less work com- ing into the plants, we are already seeing the impact on the key skill sets and our supply base.


BAE Systems has consolidated the assembly lines in our York plant into one building, compared with multiple build- ings during production peak, and shut down the Bradley turret line. Our suppli- ers are examining whether they can stay in business and, if so, whether it’s worth the cost of doing business in the defense market, or if they should retract to their commercial business areas. Our engineer- ing team is struggling to determine the minimum staff necessary to maintain core


and critical capabilities in a market where there is little need for highly skilled and experienced systems engineering, design and integration skills. Without sufficient workload, we will lose critical skills and capabilities such as turret design, manu- facturing and integration.


One critical skill set is engineering, especially systems


engineers, design


engineers and integration and test engineers, who are essential to the devel- opment of future vehicles. Tey bring a body of knowledge in unique combat vehicle design and performance that industry cannot reconstitute from the commercial engineering base.


Industry and the Army have been work- ing closely to sustain key skills, but we


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