News

Management system delivered early, under budget

B&W Pantex today announced the successful implementation of the National Nuclear Security Administration Integrated Production Planning and Execution System (IPRO) seven months ahead of schedule and approximately $8 million below projected cost.

As with most complex manufacturing processes, an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) tool is utilized at Pantex to minimize required on-hand inventory while ensuring the right product with the right quality is delivered at the right time. B&W Pantex developed and deployed IPRO to modernize its ERP system and reduce cost while improving operational visibility and inventory accuracy. IPRO represents a major system (hardware/software) upgrade designed to integrate management of mission critical functions.

The program not only replaces software management systems dating back nearly 25 years, it provides a portable, customizable and flexible ERP solution to sustain the ever-evolving electronic workplace.

On November 1, the Pantex Plant successfully completed the first 100 days since implementation of IPRO, achieving a full production rate despite several challenges, including an NNSA-directed operations suspension in preparation for the government shutdown. The challenge of using the new system during the unprecedented shutdown proved a worthy test for IPRO.

“The dozens of men and women who worked diligently on implementing this program are an outstanding representation of the dedication of all Pantexans,” said B&W Pantex General Manager John Woolery. “At every turn, they were willing to put in the extra hours and effort to implement this critical program under some very difficult circumstances.”

The business and mission critical activities supported by IPRO are:

• Forecasting, planning and scheduling resource requirements
• Creation and management of inventory items, bill of materials/structures and routings
• Receipt, storage, distribution and final disposition of components
• Financial management of inventory
• Collection and reporting of specific assembly and disassembly information
• Production work in process management, reporting and tracking
• The identification, tracking and disposition of non-conforming materials
• Integrated authorization and control of movement for nuclear materials and explosives

IPRO enabled the modernization of warehouse and inventory operations, including the use of a mobile, dockable electronic scanner that increases accuracy and tracking of inventory.

Success of this project is attributed to the use of a tailored approach execution strategy which allowed the project team and the oversight community to adapt quickly and remain flexible as the project progressed through different phases. Using an iterative approach to the development of IPRO, 23 man-years of effort were expended in an eleven-month period. These iterative development cycles allowed team members to deliver pieces of IPRO early in the development phase, allowing testing and adjustments to progress promptly.

IPRO utilizes an Oracle PeopleSoft-based software solution, which creates the potential for integration across the Nuclear Security Enterprise, where 90 percent of the Enterprise Resource Planning tools are based on PeopleSoft.

“The Pantex Plant has once again demonstrated innovative thinking and a willingness to look at the big picture with IPRO,” said NNSA Production Office Manager Steve Erhart. “This system not only increases the reliability, accuracy and quality of operations at Pantex, it has the potential to do the same for facilities throughout NNSA.”

******

-END-

​
CONTACT
Greg Cunningham
Public Affairs
Office (806) 477-5140
Pager (806) 345-1560

Review shows Plant on track for legacy contamination cleanup

The Pantex Plant passed a significant milestone in November in its effort to clean up legacy contamination at the site, securing state and federal approval in a review of the decade-long remediation process.

The completion of the five-year review, with the concurrence of officials from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), confirms the effectiveness of ongoing efforts to clean up soil and perched groundwater contamination remaining from decades of weapons production at the Plant.

“Protection of the environment is a critical focus of all our efforts at Pantex. The results of this review show that we are taking the right steps to accomplish that mission,” said B&W Pantex General Manager John Woolery.

Pantex played a key role in the Cold War, helping to secure America through the creation of a safe and effective nuclear stockpile. Those efforts left contamination in soil and perched groundwater at the Plant. While the sources that generated the contamination have been eliminated, the contamination itself remains and must be remediated for long-term protection of human health and the environment.

Starting in the early 2000’s, Pantex worked with EPA and TCEQ to select the remedy under the auspices of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA). The selected remedy includes innovative approaches to clean up contaminants on the plant site, primarily high explosives, solvents, perchlorate and chromium.

Groundwater contamination is limited to a shallow perched aquifer beneath the plant and Texas Tech University property to the south. Remediation is focused on removing the contamination, removing water from the perched aquifer to limit migration of contamination, protecting the regional drinking water aquifer known as the Ogallala Aquifer and working to restore the perched aquifer for drinking water purposes. This is accomplished primarily through two conventional pump and treat systems that beneficially reuse the treated water and two innovative bioremediation systems that pump a food source (emulsified soybean oil) into the aquifer to sustain bacteria that break down contaminants.

Much of the soil contamination is left over from legacy waste practices that included disposal of contaminated wastewater, solvents, or debris in unlined ditches, pits or landfills. Cleanup actions in these areas include a soil vapor extraction system, ditch liners and vegetative covers on landfills.

The CERCLA review confirmed that the remedial actions in place are functioning well to protect human health and the environment by containing and treating contamination as appropriate. The review concludes the remedial actions are effective and will continue to function well into the foreseeable future. Pantex is committed to continuing to operate the actions and make modifications to enhance effectiveness in the future.

“I’d like to congratulate the men and women who have worked so hard over the past 10 years to help clean up contamination at the Pantex Plant. Their dedication has allowed us to say with absolute assurance that Pantex is committed to protecting the people and the environment of the Texas Panhandle,” said NNSA Production Office Manager Steve Erhart.

The results of the CERCLA review and more information on environmental cleanup efforts at Pantex are available. The next Environmental Long Term Stewardship Public Meeting is scheduled for 4 p.m., December 2 at the Square House Museum in Panhandle.
​
CONTACT
Greg Cunningham
Public Affairs
Office (806) 477-5140
Pager (806) 345-1560

B&W Pantex Employees Help Welcome Tree

B&W Pantex employees serve snacks to attendees at an event celebrating a visit from the 2013 Capitol Christmas Tree. The 88-foot tall Engelmann spruce was harvested from the Collville National Forest in Washington and will be erected at the Capitol Building. Babcock & Wilcox was one of the corporate sponsors of the tree tour which will make 22 stops, including Amarillo, before arriving in Washington D.C.

More than 500 Pantexans and their families attended Pantex Night at the Don Harrington Discovery Center Sunday. Pantex volunteers served hamburgers and hot dogs at the science center event, which featured an exhibit on the extinct Megalodon shark, as well as a mummy in the Lost Egypt exhibit. B&W Pantex sponsored the shark exhibit.

A group of young women engineers from Pantex spent their Saturday putting on an annual engineering workshop, known as S’More Engineering, for Amarillo-area Girl Scouts.

The engineers helped the Girl Scouts with several projects that illustrated engineering concepts, such as an egg drop that had the girls building a structure that would allow an egg to survive a one-story drop and an Angry Birds activity that saw them build catapults and other launching devices that re-created the popular mobile game.

The program started last year as a way to generate interest in engineering among young girls and encourage them to pursue careers in technical fields.

“It is very encouraging to see so many girls come out and take an active interest in engineering,” said Pantex process engineer Savannah Gates, who helped develop the Girl Scouts program. “These activities are so much fun, but they also teach important lessons that we hope will be valuable in their lives.”

B&W Pantex supports numerous activities throughout the year designed to encourage a love of science and math among area youths.

This year’s event continued the trend of increasing attendance, up by 50 percent over the last workshop, and interest by Girl Scouts, including several parents who participated in the event.

“It’s such a great opportunity for the girls to meet the Pantex engineers and work with them on these projects,” said Kathi Schutz, area director for the Girl Scouts of the Texas Oklahoma Plains. “They’re very hands on, and the girls see them as mentors that are taking an active interest in them.”

Pantex process engineer Savannah Gates talks to Amarillo area high school students about engineering at the Top of Texas Career Expo. Gates used a variety of puzzles to teach engineering principles to students who might be interested in the field. Pantex professionals from various specialties, such as IT, engineering and security, supported the career fair, educating more than 900 juniors and seniors about career options at Pantex.

B&W Pantex sponsored its annual Halloween party for clients of Texas Panhandle Mental/Health Retardation October 25 at the Amarillo Civic Center. The nearly 600 attendees were treated to music, dancing, group photos, and pizza served by Pantexan volunteers. This year marks the 11th for this event, which continues to be one of the most rewarding community outreach events the Plant sponsors, according to Debra Halliday, Pantex Community Relations coordinator.

Plant caps off excellent year in safety with lowest-ever injury rate

The Pantex Plant continues to lead the way within the Nuclear Weapons Complex for safe operations, concluding fiscal year 2013 with the lowest recordable case rate in the Plant’s history.

The record for Total Recordable Case Rate (TRC) at 0.26 is a fitting end to an outstanding year in safety, which saw Pantexans set a record in January by working more than eight million man hours without a lost time injury while Pantex was once again honored as one of the outstanding sites in the complex with the Star of Excellence from the Department of Energy’s Voluntary Protection Program.

“We are very proud of the safety-conscious attitude our Pantexans display each and every day,” said B&W Pantex General Manager John Woolery. “This achievement is a reflection of their individual commitment to helping ensure a strong nuclear safety culture at Pantex.

The TRC measures the number of employee hours worked in a year relative to the number of reportable injuries. This is the standard OSHA formula used by all industries across the nation. B&W Pantex has made reducing the number of injuries a top priority when it took over operation of the Plant in 2001. The number of recordable injuries has decreased 92 percent during that time.

Pantex has continued to look for innovative ways to address safety concerns. This past year, Nuclear Safety Culture became a prime area of focus, with numerous initiatives enacted to establish a culture of safety commensurate with the critical work performed at Pantex.

“The many honors Pantex received this year are gratifying, but the TRC record is the safety achievement that really measures how safe our employees are at the Plant,” said Jim Stevens, manager of the Environmental, Safety, Health and Quality Division at Pantex. “Setting an all-time case rate record means that Pantexans are working more safely than they ever have, which is the standard we strive to achieve every day.”
​
CONTACT
Greg Cunningham
Public Affairs
Office (806) 477-5140
Pager (806) 345-1560

NNSA Principal Assistant Deputy Administrator for Military Application Brig. General James C. Dawkins, Jr., was at the Pantex Plant last week to present Defense Programs of Excellence Awards to more than 80 people for their efforts over the past year.

Dawkins presented awards to 88 members of five different teams who worked on projects ranging from metallography of weapons components to analysis of plastic bonded explosives to work on the B53 and B83 weapons. In his comments, he emphasized the importance of the work done at Pantex to help ensure the safety of the country through maintenance of an effective nuclear deterrent.

Dawkins was joined by NNSA Production Office Manager Steve Erhart and B&W Pantex General Manager John Woolery in making the presentations.

Warhead Measurement Campaign- B53 Nuclear Explosive Like Assembly (NELA)
The Warhead Measurement Campaign team exceeded customer expectations by providing extraordinary support of the Defense Programs/Nuclear Nonproliferation warhead measurement campaign. The WMC objective is to obtain a standardized set of signature data from the enduring stockpile and some historical U.S. warheads, pits, and canned subassemblies to provide enhanced predictive capability for the national security community.

B83 Production Team
The B&W Pantex B83 Production Team achieved a significant NNSA milestone following the authorization of the new B83 Tooling Upgrade process by successfully completing the B83 Surveillance workload in FY12. The B83 Tooling Upgrade team, in its implementation of the new process and tooling, was faced with numerous challenges and delays throughout, but remained focused on the goal. They worked diligently to overcome all obstacles and achieved authorization for the new tooling and process on April 26, 2012.

High Explosive Automated Machine Tool Team
The Pantex Plant’s High Explosives Manufacturing department implemented an automatic machine tool changer and tool identification system to increase the safety and efficiency of high explosive machining operations. As tools are being loaded, information programmed on an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) chip on the tool ensures the proper tool is loaded and programed for the needed operation. The shift from administrative controls to engineering controls saves time and improves the safety of high explosive machining operations. The tool changer was officially approved and in use for explosive machining operations in the 2nd Quarter of 2012.

Plastic Bonded Explosive Polymers Analytical Team
The Gel Permeation Chromatography (GPC) lab is an integral part of surveillance testing for determining the molecular weight of the binder in plastic bonded explosives. During FY 2012 the GPC lab experienced significant increase in workload. By implementing efficiencies throughout the lab more samples are analyzed in a shorter period of time and instrument calibrations time was improved by as much as 83% in some areas. These efficiencies allowed the GPC lab to meet the scheduled deliverables as well as unscheduled requests to analyze anomalous polymer samples. The GPC scientist presented two papers to the NSE community at the Polymeric Material and Adhesives Conference (Polymac) detailing the new, more efficient methodologies.

Metallography Laboratory Team
The Pantex metallography laboratory team significantly improved metallography lab efficiencies, provided cost savings to the plant, and improved safety in their work processes during FY12. Improvements were made in the preparation of Special Nuclear Material (SNM) metallography specimens resulting in a 50% percent decrease in overall cycle time and a 45% decrease in premium hours worked in the metallography lab. The team also researched and implemented reusable and user friendly silicon molds that could be removed from the cured epoxy by hand without the need for hand tools. This improved not only the safety of the process but also had an indirect effect of improving the overall specimen quality. Metallographic analytical results, in some cases, were given to the customer the same day as the specimens were received. Cost savings are estimated at $30K for just the Pantex metallography lab alone in FY 2012. In addition to the improved epoxy implementation, the metallography laboratory analyzed chain links from new and old hoists after new hoists began to show early wear that exceeded allowances. The team provided chemical analyses results along with recommendations for a solution to the hoist manufacturer and Pantex system owners. Based on the recommendations and the analyses performed by the metallography lab, the manufacturer agreed to provide funds to replace the hoists, saving the government $160K in FY2012 while ensuring weapons production activities requiring hoists were adequately protected.

Applications for the Pantex Christmas Project are now available from school counselors at Amarillo and Canyon public schools, all Amarillo Public Libraries or by calling 477-5533 and requesting an application by mail. This year, the applications will also be available online. Applications are available in English and Spanish and must be postmarked by October 10, 2013.

Pantex employees have been supporting the Pantex Christmas Project for more than 57 years. The Project will serve approximately 165 children and 15 elderly individuals. Children of selected families receive clothing and toys. Notices will be sent to families informing them if their application has been accepted. Families will be assisted one time only and are asked to not submit an application if they have received assistance from the Project in the past.

The Pantex Christmas Project will host a party for selected families on December 20, where about 100 Pantex volunteers will gather to help spread holiday cheer to families that need assistance.

Please help us call attention to this important opportunity for families that may need assistance this Christmas.

CONTACT
Greg Cunningham
Public Affairs
Office (806) 477-5140
Pager (806) 345-1560