Photo By Rachel Selby | Brandy Aaron, a textile production worker, adjusts and measures the pockets on a West...... read more read more
Pine Bluff Arsenal’s Directorate of Chemical and Biological Defense Operations, Textiles and Protective Clothing production, has begun work on a new garment: wool parkas for the U.S. Army Military Academy at West Point, located in West Point, N.Y.
This project adds yet another diverse item to PBA’s growing portfolio of textile production. Since its inception in 2015, when initial groundwork and research began to establish industrial textile capabilities at PBA, both capacity and product variety have expanded. Additional personnel have joined the production line, and new equipment has been added, including a Gerber cutter, embroidery machine, heat transfer machine and industrial sewing machines.
The Arsenal received a Center of Industrial and Technical Excellence certification for textile manufacturing in April 2022.
“West Point has its own sewing facility and called us because their fabric cutter broke. They were behind in making some uniform pants,” said Jason Fullen, chief of the Chemical and Biological Division. “They initially contacted Justin Lieber, Director of PBA’s Business Operations and Planning, to ask if Pine Bluff could help with some fabric cutting.”
Greg Brown, West Point project manager, visited PBA with sample fabric and project files, Fullen said,
“We demonstrated we could cut the fabric to specifications. During our conversation, he mentioned the enormous workload and backlog at their sewing facility”, Fullen said. “That’s when we started discussing the parkas. About two weeks later, they asked for help with the parkas. This all came together at the end of July/beginning of August, so it has been a quick turnaround.”
West Point, founded in 1802, is the nation’s first and oldest military academy. The academy trains cadets to become officers in the U.S. Army through a rigorous four-year program focused on developing leaders of character.
There have been some challenges said Fullen.
“There was a delay in receiving the fabric, and some damage occurred during shipping. It’s also a different material for our production workers to handle because it is a thick wool,” he said.
“In addition to the parkas, there has been discussions about possibly producing some matching trousers. But first, we need to get through this project.”
Approximately 600-plus parkas are scheduled for production.
“We’re working six-days a week. We’ve brought in additional sewers, including staff from administrative and other roles, to help complete the project on time,” Fullen said. “The people we’ve brought in have really enjoyed it. It’s something different from their everyday work.”
John Burkhead, director of Chemical and Biological Defense, said the project stemmed from earlier conversations with Army Materiel Command.
“Justin and I met with Army Sustainment Command earlier this year to discuss textile projects with West Point. We even planned a trip to visit their facility in New York,” said Burkhead. “The trip didn’t happen, but West Point reached out when their cutter went down. This is a great opportunity for PBA and the textile line.”
| Date Taken: | 09.30.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 09.30.2025 16:17 |
| Story ID: | 549756 |
| Location: | PINE BLUFF, US |
| Web Views: | 105 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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