Team Redstone members receive Value Engineering – Life Cycle Cost Reduction awards

U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command
Story by Jason Cutshaw

Date: 11.28.2018
Posted: 12.11.2018 11:28
News ID: 302997
Value Engineering – Life Cycle Cost Reduction awards

By Jason B. Cutshaw
AMCOM Public Affairs

REDSTONE ARSENAL, Alabama – As the Army targets savings, Redstone Arsenal continues to exceed its expectations.

Once again, numerous Team Redstone organizations were recognized by the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command, or AMCOM, for Value Engineering, or VE, and Life Cycle Cost Reduction projects that achieved significant savings and addressed Army readiness during a ceremony at the Bob Jones Auditorium, Nov. 28.

Collectively, the awards recognized 95 VE projects representing a record-setting $331 million in savings and cost avoidance for local organizations and $33 million in savings for 14 field locations around the world. Additional benefits include mitigated obsolescence, improved capability, reduced cycle time, relieved Soldier burden and inserted technology.

“Our Value Engineering community is a group of dedicated professionals who work together to solve significant engineering challenges,” said Bill Marriott, Deputy to the Commanding General of AMCOM. “In the current unpredictable, resource-constrained environment that we operate in, it is absolutely critical that we optimize those resources we do have. Value Engineering is one way we can do just that.”

“Thinking differently is not easy,” he continued. “It requires vision, creativity and persistence. It is a rare skill that all of today’s awardees happen to possess. Our awardees tackled some tough problems by asking, ‘Why not?’

“With their bright minds, a zest for mission accomplishment and their willingness to try something new, they have improved readiness and ensured that our Soldiers are better equipped to face diverse, emerging threats in the world today and tomorrow,” Marriott added. “Our awardees would not accept the status-quo and continue to do things the way they’ve always been done. Instead, they identified ways to improve things and acted on those ideas.”

With record participation in fiscal year 2018 of more than 450 people contributing to one or more VE projects, this year was the first time all 95 VE projects saved money and addressed critical issues related to Army readiness. This is the 33rd consecutive year that Team Redstone collectively surpassed its VE monetary goal.

During the ceremony, plaques were presented to directors and program managers of those organizations that exceeded their goals for fiscal year 2018:

From PEO Aviation:
Air Traffic Control Product Manager, Aviation Ground Support Equipment, Product Directorate
Fixed Wing Project Office
Utility Helicopters Project Office

From PEO Missiles and Space:
Counter-Rocket Artillery Mortar Project Office
Integrated Air and Missile Defense Project Office
Joint Attack Munition Systems Project Office
Lower Tier Project Office
Precision Fires Rocket and Missile Systems Project Office
From Missile Defense Agency
Terminal High Altitude Area Defense Program Office
X-Band Radars

Others receiving plaques included AMCOM Logistics Center; Aviation and Missile Research, Development, and Engineering Center; and Corpus Christi Army Depot.

Also during the ceremony, certificates were presented to various coordinators for their respective organizations’ contributions during fiscal year 2018.

Individuals receiving the award certificates were:
From PEO Aviation:
Alan Parker, AGSE Product Directorate
Alivio Mangieri, ATC Product Manager
Joe Dombrowski, Fixed Wing Project Office
Detlef Presser, Utility Helicopters Project Office
From PEO Missiles and Space:
Kristene Bell, Counter-Rocket Artillery Mortar Project Office
Mike Maddox, Integrated Air and Missile Defense Project Office
Alvin Gracie, Precision Fires Rocket and Missile Systems Project Office

From MDA:
Toni Hamilton-Datcher, Terminal High Altitude Area Defense Program Office
Betsy Rollins, X-Band Radars

From AMRDEC:
Patrick Kelley
From AMCOM Logistics Center
Jeffrey Jenkins, AMCOM Logistics Center
Receiving LCCR award certificates for their organizations were:

From PEO Missiles and Space:
Neal Todd, Cruise Missile Defense Systems Project Office

From PEO Aviation:
Richard Tyler, Apache Attack Helicopter Program Managers Office
Joe Ingram, Utility Helicopters Project Office
Peter Rao with the Utility Helicopters Project Office

“I am pleasantly surprised that our team was selected,” Rao said. “I had a lot of people helping me. I am just an engineer who had an idea. Aircraft were having some accidents and I was hired to help solve the problem. We solved it and I feel good about it.

“I am so delighted they recognized our efforts and I appreciate it very much,” he added.

A common theme for this year’s effort was a highly motivated, well-trained and dedicated workforce who successfully delivered superior materiel to our Nation’s Warfighters.

“This is one of my favorite days of the year,” said Thomas Reynolds, AMRDEC Value Engineering manager. “It is a day that we get to thank and recognize all of the people that have made the Team Redstone VE and Life Cycle Cost Reduction programs so successful in 2018 and launch into another successful year in 2019.

“Awards and savings are important, but more important is the impact these projects have on our Soldiers’ lives,” he continued. “As we all know, our products are expensive. However, these are not luxury items but equipment that our Soldiers literally bet their lives and mission on every day.

“The collaboration among Team Redstone individuals, groups and organizations is unsurpassed,” he added.