Original Date: 04/06/1998
Revision Date: 01/18/2007

In FY1995, the Anniston Army Depot (ANAD) successfully completed the installation of a manufacturing system capable of producing parts on demand. The Rapid Acquisition of Manufactured Parts (RAMP) system was installed in ANAD’s main machine shop and started producing parts in July 1994. The RAMP system’s primary purpose is to support the mission of the Depot the overhaul and repair of tracked vehicles. Using the system developed in 1993 at Charleston Naval Shipyard as a baseline, ANAD has enhanced its capabilities and flexibility to suit its parts mix and applications.

By focusing on the up-front activities such as multifunction process planning and finite capacity scheduling of limited resources, the RAMP provides a proven strategy for performing in an environment where flexibility and limited resources are a prerequisite to agile manufacturing. By incorporating the lessons learned from the Navy's program, the system developed at ANAD has systematically integrated commercial hardware, software, and communications products into a responsive, powerful, enterprise-level system capable of providing real time system control. Complete work instructions, including all necessary information relating to the successful completion of the job, are provided electronically to the shop floor. This information includes detailed operations, graphics, tooling and fixturing, quality requirements, and the numerical control codes necessary to manufacture the part.

Since its installation in FY1995, the system has been used successfully and has reduced the average in-shop production time to less than 30 days with no increase in personnel.

For more information see the Point of Contact for this survey.