Letterkenny earns 10th Shingo medallion for manufacturing excellence
CHAMBERSBURG - Letterkenny Army Depot has won its 10th Shingo medallion for manufacturing excellence, its first in four years.
Letterkenny was the first Army depot to win an award that Business Week dubbed the “Nobel Prize of manufacturing.” Letterkenny won its first medallion, a silver in 2005, for repairing Patriot missile launchers.
The depot won the 2017 bronze Shingo medallion for building Patriot missile launchers.
“This is a great achievement for Letterkenny as it is also the first time that an Army depot built a new Patriot air and missile defense system major end item,” said Col. Deacon Maddox, Letterkenny commander.
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Maddox credited Letterkenny’s “lean culture” for providing a natural transition for the workforce. Workers used lean tools, systems and principles in establishing the new-build program.
“Lean” is the systematic elimination of waste in a manufacturing system. The wastes include uneven workload, activities that do not add value and unnecessary stress on employees and processes.
Maddox announced the Shingo to the workforce during a town hall meeting on March 8. A ceremony is planned to receive the medallion.
Letterkenny’s notification included a statement from Ken Snyder, executive director of the Shingo Institute: “By design, the Shingo Awards represent the highest standard of excellence in the world. Not only do your efforts distinguish you as a member of an elite group doing world-class work, you are also changing the world and we are honored to have you with us on the journey.”
Letterkenny provides Patriot PAC-3 launcher stations for Raytheon's Integrated Defense Systems. The program began in January 2010. Private industry managed the majority of the supply logistics. Highly skilled artisans from Letterkenny integrated, tested, painted, packaged and shipped the missile launchers. The Letterkenny workers had more than 20 years’ experience with the Patriot infrastructure.
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Four of the depot’s 10 medallions have been for Patriot programs – from the missile to the launcher.
The Patriot is a long-range, surface-to-air missile system designed to take out tactical ballistic missiles, cruise missiles and advanced aircraft. The Patriot destroyed surface-to-surface missiles in the 2003 Iraq conflict and were used extensively in the 1991 Gulf War.
Letterkenny crews have worked on the control, launch and radar vehicles since the early days of Patriot.
The depot in Greene Township and its tenant agencies comprise the second largest employer in Franklin County.
Raytheon has a defined growth path for what it considers to be the world’s most advanced air defense system to ensure the Patriot remains in service through 2048.
The Jon M. Huntsman School of Business at Utah State University awards the Shingo Prize and medallions. Judges assess an organization’s culture and how well it drives world-class results.
Jim Hook, 717-262-4759