RIE helps 9th MUNS processes

  • Published
  • By 1st Lt. Richard Ricciardi
  • 9th Reconnaissance Wing Public Affairs
BEALE AIR FORCE BASE, Calif., --  An Air Force Smart Operations for the 21st Century Rapid Improvement Event was held, Sept. 28 through Oct. 2, which helped members of the 9th Munitions Squadron improve the small bomb fin repack process.

Seven members of the 9th MUNS participated in this weeklong event. The main objective of this experience is to find a more efficient way to tear down and repack the fin section of small bombs that the Combat Ammunition Planning and Production course students use to build the last week of their three week course.

"For this RIE, we are looking to get the fins off faster and repack them quicker," said Staff Sgt. Matthew Spurgeon, 9th MUNS fin crew chief. "The biggest problems are carrying the fins long distances and doing a lot of extra steps in the tear down process, but we have alleviated 62 of the 115 steps from the old process, which will cut our time in half."

From the small bomb tear down value stream analysis, completed in July, there will be nine separate RIEs for each work cell on the disassembly line; the fin section is the first event.

After a couple of days of brainstorming and debating ideas in the classroom, the team established a new improved process which will be implemented this week.

According to Mr. Forrest Harrington, 9th Munitions Squadron Transformation Specialist, a savings of 53 percent in the fin section will ultimately help reduce the total time of the bomb tear down when the other eight RIEs take place. Additionally, the team reduced the overall motion and transportation of the fin from 10,056 feet to 4,110; a savings of 59 percent.

"Depending on the type of build of the bomb, it takes around 35-40 minutes to be totally disassembled, and on the fin time, we will cut our times in half," said Sergeant Spurgeon, who is also the team lead.

"We want to give the students an accurate product that they would get out in a deployed environment," said Sergeant Spurgeon.

The next event, which will be held the first week in November, will help fin crews test their improved processes and from there, the fin crew can physically implement their new enhanced process.