and the fire department,” Besse said. “But we’re working to get the labor rates lower. And they are lower than they were three years ago.” In 2008, the disadvantage caught
up to RIA. For the first time in its history, the arsenal failed to win a land-towed howitzer program on which the Army solicited bids. BAE Systems, London, won the job, for the M777 howitzer. Still, Cotter said RIA does not con-
sider private companies its competitors. Instead, the arsenal aims to create col- laborative opportunities with private industry, and it has gotten involved in the production of the M777, working with BAE (who declined to comment on this article) to make parts to sup- ply the line. “We were disappointed, but at least
we’re getting our foot in the door,” Besse said. RIA has been fulfilling howitzer
contracts for decades, so it doesn’t plan to let the loss of one program stop it anytime soon. The arsenal began producing the M119 in the early 1990s and has been winning similar contracts since. It’s been winning other weapons contracts for much longer than that. “We are kept in mind for artillery
pieces because we’ve been doing it for 100-plus years,” Besse said. In addition to its long-term relation-
ships, the facility also has the advan- tage of being able to begin fulfilling orders without having to be paid for everything up front. It is attempting to use that and its technical advantages to build relationships with new custom- ers. For example, the arsenal is follow- ing the military trend of light-weighting its artillery, hence the move into tita- nium castings, as well as research into composite armor. If the lessons learned over the years
teach RIA nothing else, it is that it is not invincible. Fullerlove said the in- stallation can’t be shut down entirely because it is a national historic land- mark and home to a national cemetary; however, if it fails to convince custom- ers it can do what it was designed to do—produce weapons systems that no other facility can produce—it could be repurposed. “People don’t know what our ca-
pabilities are,” Fullerlove said. “[Our marketing department] is out there selling us like never before. And the Colonel is our biggest advocate.” METAL
36 Metal casting Design anD purchasing March/april 2010
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60