Air Force engineer earns DOD award for cost-saving adaptor

  • Published
  • By Damian Housman
  • Warner Robins Air Logistics Center Public Affairs
ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga. (AFNEWS) --  A civilian engineer from the 402nd Electronics Maintenance Group here has won the 2006 Department of Defense Value Engineering Achievement Award.

Marty Sheppard, the manufacturing engineer for the 402nd EMXG was chosen for the award by Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics Ken Krieg.

Value engineering is a systematic process of function analysis, identifying actions that reduce cost, increase quality and improve mission capabilities, Mr. Krieg said.
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Though it is an individual award, Mr. Sheppard recognized the work of the entire printed wiring board facility.

"This award is really for the whole shop, not just me," Mr. Sheppard said.

The manufacturing engineering team includes Patty Causey, Brian Ledden, Charles Williams, Blake Ramey, Mike Wells and Ken McKinley.

The project that gained the DOD-level award is a set of interface test adapters, called ITAs. The manufacturing engineering team works directly with manufacturing shops, including circuit board, machine, cable and assembly, from conceptual design to delivery of the ITAs to the Robins AFB software engineers' test programs to new universal test stations.

Enough interface test adapters have been produced to save the Air Force thousands of dollars, and work is underway that will save the service even more money.

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