Point of Contact: Nancy L. Crook, Public Affairs Division Director Release No. 07-09 (904) 542-3168, extension 161
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE March 1, 2007

FRC-SE completes F/A-18 in record time
By Frank Taormina, Public Affairs Specialist

On February 16, Fleet Readiness Center, Southeast, Cecil Commerce Center Detachment, completed work on an F/A-18C aircraft and delivered it to the customer in record time. JC01, the Center’s designation for the aircraft, was delivered to VMFAT-101 in Miramar, California on February 16.
JC01 was inducted at the Center on October 30th of last year and went through a PMI-1 Stand Alone Inspection to determine what work would be completed. As a result of the tedious and time-consuming inspection, it was determined that structural, mechanical, and electrical maintenance would be required in addition to three required structural modifications. The standard turn-around-time for this type and quantity of work is 165 days and FRC-SE completed the work in 109 days, 56 days ahead of schedule.
Bruce McCurdy, F/A-18 PMI Product Manager, Cecil Commerce Center said, “The reduction in turn-around-time is due to diligent teamwork and the application of Lean/SixSigma and the use of a Gantt chart. The entire maintenance team received support from every discipline involved in completing the work and returning the aircraft to the customer.”
The maintenance was completed with a minimum amount of overtime due to Lean/SixSigma methodologies being used at FRC-SE, a process of “trimming the fat” that is producing results daily. A Gantt chart, which is an integral tool of Lean/SixSigma, is a graphical representation of the duration of tasks and is a useful tool for planning and scheduling projects. It is also useful in monitoring a project’s progress. The reduced turn-around-time of JC01 resulted in a savings of more than a half million dollars.