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Show HILL TOP TIMES Friday, August 22, 1986 f AFLC Vice commcander looks info fuiure progress Editor's note: Lt. Gen. Marc C. Reynolds, Air Force Logistics Command vice commander, offered his views on the command to TSgt. Marvin Kusumoto, of the Sacramento Air Logistics Center Public Affairs Office, during a recent visit to McClellan AFB, Calif. Q: Why is R & M so UlMIWIIMIWIMWWww- piWlMiMIyWllWllll'IIU - the future of AFLC? A: First, I want to emphasize that reliability and maintainability isn't a new issue for AFLC. It has always been one of our major missions. However, times change, and that's war-fightin- capability that's the No. 1 goal of R & M 2000. We've had some real reliability and maintainability success stories like avionics system. The BUFF the historically finished last in SAC bombing competition. But this year, with the system in place, the took the first seven places that's capability. Here, we're doing the same thing with the avionics modernization It's nearly a $1 billion proprogram. will that give new life to an old gram B-5- (B-5- 2 2) B-5- war-fightin- 2 g F-l- ll system. Q: The Productivity, Reliability, Availability and Maintainability Program is one of the major features of R&M 2000. What initiatives is AFLC items that we could buy directly from the actual manufacturer instead of the middleman. Now, about Zero Overpricing it has been effective in our efforts to avoid overpricing of any kind. The program's purpose is to reduce overpricing by getting the actual users involved in our efforts. Since they see the part, they're in a pretty good position to give us a value judgment on whether the catalog price represents a fair price for a part. They can also offer alternatives and that's what we're looking for. In effect, the people in the field are our eyes and, to that extent, the program is a valuable one. Q: Quality Circles have become an integral part of the logistics business. What impact have they made to the command? A: Quality Circles are nothing more than management by participation. day-to-da- important to why R&M 2000 was born. Those changes are a combination of an increased threat, decreased funding and a declining manpower pool. Today, AFLC controls and supports more than 80 percent of the force structure the Air Force will have beyond the year 2000. Those systems aren't as reliable as they could be, and use more than 30 percent of our annual budget. How we apply technology to increase the reliability of existing systems and our industrial processes can and will free up diminishing g resources so we can increase our The flightline crew bundled these people up in cold weather gear and they saw what the maintenance crew y did on a basis. Once they tried a simple task like screwing a nut on a bolt through a "C" clamp, they realized that what looked good on the drawing board was something else on the flightline. One contractor commented that if every electrical and mechanical engineer visited Minot in the winter, he was sure future (avionics) boxes would be more reliable and maintainable. Like they say, one picture is worth a thousand words, and that's the whole purpose behind the Blue Two visits. (U.S. Air Force Photo) Lt. Gen. Marc C. Reynolds taking in this area? A: The PRAM program started in 1975, and has initiated more than 800 projects to reduce operations and support costs. The program has a fantastic track record with more than $3 billion in documented savings or five dollars for each one dollar invested. Since there is such an emphasis on reliability and "maintainability, PRAM's budget is being increased from $13 million to $32 million. Q: One of the interesting new AFLC programs is organizing visits by defense contractors to bases where the difficulty they can see first-hanin maintaining some of their systems. Is this program beginning to bear fruit in making systems more maintainable? A: You're referring to the Blue Two visit program which really isn't that new. It started in late 1984. It has been very successful in showing contractors exactly what the airmen on the flightline have to deal with. A good example is a trip last winter to Minot AFB, N.D. d Q: With overpriced parts abuses still high in the public's mind, how effective has the Zero Overpricing program been in eliminating these problems? A: That's really a very complex question. Let's clear up a few misconception? in your question and then talk about Zero Overpricing. The term "overpricing" presumes that defense contractors have been gouging the government. We've had plenty of media and congressional coverage on spare parts prices, but not many cases of actual price gouging. For the most part, we've seen incorrect or high, rather than inequitable prices. That is, some items may have had apparently high price tags because of contractor requirements to comply with statutory cost accounting standards. Others may have been costly because we bought them in small quanmanufacturers tities or from high-cos- t who just weren't equipped to handle small orders. We also found that, with closer screening, there are a lot of Fall Woodcutters d And they work! Quality solutions improve both the of quality product and employee quality of life. Their efforts often save Circle-generate- resources and frequently increase ker productivity. Many activities in AFLC have Quality Circles, but the program at Sacramento is definitely leading the way with 142 circles and more than 1,000 people participatiang. The return on investment is both tangible and intangible. At Sacramento, 79 solutions were proposed and all were accepted, with a savings of just under $250,000. The impact on morale is evident, with reductions in grievances, sick leave use and improved communication. The bottom line: once you get people talking to each other, good things can happen. (AFLC News Service) REWT OR' IMDY PECTACULAR WHEN IT COMES TO YOUR CHAIN SAW WE CARRY IT ALL!! wsss i mmmw m f 8fil I T2t i l SMI I 2 cycle oil Bar & chain Chains oil nrt I i -- " hi it I If Iff i liri I m ' I , ri I m ' & i--i r"V IrffisBrM-I J" fit - 1 !T"W mat P? && ms 'ssas? I )4W 1r J Fill 5 JISm HOMELITE fry 3 H32 &5 HO-H- Brand New 1800 Sq. Ft. UTE Loft plus 2 huge bedrooms, ( Scum (SInKziQiras (EXFCES SEPT. 2, 13SS) 825-227- 1 - Hilton Clearfield McEimiLiire & 285 No. Main full basement, dishwasher, disposal, central air conditioning, washer & dryer hookups. ezz?a Oira (iKtsfe llr--. 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