Photo By Keith Hayes | (Left to right) Wayne Ulmer, an Electronic Industrial Controls Mechanics with the...... read more read more
The Engineering Division keeps the machines and facilities at Production Plant Barstow, Marine Depot Maintenance Command aboard the Yermo Annex of Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow, Calif., in shape and functioning so that the Plant can fulfill its prime mission; producing a quality product for the warfighter.
“We have our Production Engineering Section, Facilities Engineering Section, and the Production Equipment Maintenance Section,” explained Alicia Florez, manager of Engineering Division.
She said those three sections provide production engineering support, Military Construction project development, manage capital investments including new construction and equipment purchases, and are responsible for the overall repair, maintenance, and availability for all production equipment within the compound.
“Production Engineering can include buying equipment, fixture design, weld program management, technical support and reverse engineering parts that aren’t otherwise available for purchase,” Florez said.
She said reverse engineering is a process used to reproduce a part following the detailed examination of the part’s features and construction. This section will take any item that Trades or the Material Management Division is unable to identify or procure and reverse engineer it, ultimately producing a print in AutoCAD or Solid Works which will then be used to fabricate the part in house.
Another key area for Production Engineering is the Welder Certification Program, which Ben Santos, Production and Facilities Engineering Supervisor, takes very seriously. Engineering is responsible for the Welding Procedure Specification, and enforcement requirements of the program and American Welding Society standards.
The Facilities Engineering and Production Equipment Maintenance sections are responsible for ensuring the production plant and equipment within it are operational. The Plant covers 267 acres containing more than 65 buildings and structures. The Facilities Engineering Section, consists of four Engineering Technicians who work closely with Installation and Logistics Department to ensure needed repairs are accomplished on the existing facility. They also develop requirements and review designs for all new construction and large repairs for the facilities.
Victor Anaya, a retired Army sergeant first class who has been deployed three times and now works as an Engineering Technician for Facilities Engineering, was reviewing plans for the installation of a sprinkler system in buildings 571 and 579. “I’m going to determine if where the sprinklers are to be installed would interfere with production in any way, for example, be in the way of the cranes.”
He said his work has given him a rather unique perspective on engineering. “I was deployed too, so I know that side of the story and then I came here and do this to help out the warfighter. I didn’t realize how much the civilians do. Having gone full circle I now realize just how important PPB and facilities like this are to the war effort,” Anaya said.
“The Production Equipment Maintenance Section is responsible for the repair and maintenance of all production equipment used to refurbish and repair vehicles,” Florez continued. “Any equipment from a grinder on the floor, to waterjet equipment, to our large steam generators, all fall under the responsibility of this section. The maintenance section has a six person team that maintains more than 1,000 pieces of production equipment including cranes.”
One of the most critical piece of production equipment for Production Plant Barstow is the air pollution control system. “The air pollution control system is a rotor/furnace system that takes and traps the volatile organic compounds (VOC) from the paint that isn’t trapped in the filter banks in the booth, and destroys them,” explained Jason Wojtkiewicz, one of two Industrial Equipment Mechanics working for
the Production Equipment Maintenance team. They perform the repair and maintenance on that system to ensure it is operational at all times.
Wayne Ulmer, one of two Electronic Industrial Controls Mechanics, explained a project he recently completed for an outlying shop. “I ran the conduit from this panel across to the next structure 40 feet away to provide power for a nine-ton gantry crane.”
Florez said that the work of the Engineering Branch is critical to the operation of Production Plant Barstow, but neither she nor her engineers ever forget who they are working for. “In the final analysis, the Engineering Division’s customer is the warfighter, so we do everything we can to keep the Plant and its equipment up and running with the end result being getting quality combat vehicles back to the warfighter as quickly as possible,” Florez concluded.
| Date Taken: | 07.13.2017 |
| Date Posted: | 07.13.2017 11:38 |
| Story ID: | 240986 |
| Location: | MARINE CORPS LOGISTICS BASE BARSTOW, CA, US |
| Web Views: | 51 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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