innova iovations CASTING
Improved Technical Data Package Leads to Better Casting Source
is the U.S. military’s integrated mate- rial manager for over a million repair parts and supply items supporting fi ghter, bomber, transport and helicopter aircraft. As the supply chain manager for the U.S. military’s aviation, DLA Aviation coordinates the logistics of part procurement and a ram air scoop for the Air Force’s B-1 Lancer had been red-fl agged as in need of improvement. T e castings were operating OK
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in use, but delinquent contracts had resulted in no acceptable procure- ment sources for these critical castings. DLA Aviation turned to the American Metalcasting Consortium’s CAST-IT Team and its own Aviation Forging and Casting Assistance Team (AF- CAT) to investigate the contracts and determine a solution. One of CAST- IT’s roles is working with government agencies to enhance procurement pro-
he U.S. Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) Avia- tion, Richmond, Virginia, supports more than 1,340 major weapons systems and
cesses and resolve problematic casting procurements that aff ect the country’s military readiness. T e ram air scoop castings were
large complex aluminum investment castings with critical specifi cations, and DLA Aviation could not fi nd anyone to make them. CAST-IT and AFCAT determined the technical data pack- age was outdated and complicated. It contained 359 separate documents with stringent material and quality requirements. T is cumbersome data package made it diffi cult for suppliers to properly quote the part. CAST-IT reached out to 12 po- tential suppliers and identifi ed three as
possible sources. T en, CAST-IT and AFCAT collaborated with the DLA and Tinker Air Force Base, Oklahoma City, to streamline the technical data package and clarify the vast amounts of specifi cations and requirements during the solicitation process. “T ere was a mountain of techni-
cal data that required coordination and clarifi cation to support the buyers in their quest to award,” said Tim Condon, B-1 weapon system program manager, DLA Aviation. “T is was not business as usual contracts. T e team’s diligent and tireless eff orts are what got these awards accomplished.” Ultimately, the team found and ap-
proved two capable sources for the ram air scoop, and Cera Met, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania was selected to provide the castings.
Cleaning up the technical data
package was critical to meeting the urgent need for a casting source and saved the DLA $414,000 in procure- ment costs with an overall cost avoid- ance of more than $4 million.
The ram air scoop was needed for the Air Force’s B-1 Lancer 48 | METAL CASTING DESIGN & PURCHASING | May/Jun 2016
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