Theater Logistician Maj. Gen. Kenneth S. Dowd - KMI Media Group

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that it is going into. The case is there to make up the difference between essentially an office environment and the field conditions of the real world this equipment winds up in.” That means cases such as the ones supplied by companies such as Zarges need to be able to protect nonruggedized gear from environmental factors such as rain, dust shock and vibration. According to Britton, “[The case] allows this stuff to be manhandled, and survive being tossed off the back of a Humvee, that sort of thing.” The HMMWV became the military’s prime mover in conflicts since Desert Storm because of its ability to traverse on- and off-road at considerable speeds over great distances. Cases needed to be developed that could “keep up” with the vehicle. “In the old days,” reiterates Britton, “a lot of this equipment was permanently mounted into trucks and trailers, and that provided the protection for it. After Desert Storm, we found that those large truck- and trailer-sized pieces of equipment couldn’t keep up with our forces; things had to be smaller, faster and more mobile.” Kevin Murphy, director of marketing communications with Pelican, agrees: “In Iraq and Afghanistan the equipment’s enemy is sand and dust. Once it gets into bearings, sleeves or hinges, it starts tearing gear up. You’ll find Pelican cases all over the theater of operations being used as storage containers, not just transport. That’s because the gear still needs to be protected from sand and dust, even while in storage.” He continued, “We’ve learned how to control the environment inside the case regardless of the conditions outside. For example, a government in Southeast Asia needed to protect parachutes from mold between operations, so our desiccant gel cartridge is used to absorb humidity in the case. And beyond the rubber o-ring seal, there is a pressure equalization valve. Every Pelican case allows air to breathe in and out of the case (to prevent vacuum lock), but the valve uses a Gore-Tex membrane to block water molecules from entering the case.” Ruggedized containers such as those described by Britton and Murphy are not usually purchased directly by the military as an empty case, but rather are purchased by the primary contractors, the Boeings, the <strong>Gen</strong>eral Dynamics, etc., and integrated into a system. Hardigg Industries has been working with the U.S. military for decades, designing and providing rugged protective cases to protect anything from weapons to medical gear. In January of this year Pelican purchased its longtime competitor Hardigg. The transaction, valued at approximately $200 million, is said to be the largest acquisition in the history of the protective case industry. The Hardigg brand name has been retained by Pelican, and Hardigg’s line of high-end roto-molded shipping cases will continue to be sold by Pelican. 28 | MLF 3.7 U.S. Army Sgt. Daniel Ponce of the 204th Brigade Support Battalion, guides the final storage container into place on the truck for the closure of Umm Qasr North, in Umm Qasr, Iraq. [Photo courtesy of U.S. Army] Hardigg’s cases have proved themselves over and over again in the unrelenting wind, heat, sand and dust storms of Iraq. All of Pelican’s case solutions, the original, virtually indestructible injection molded cases, and the newly acquired Hardigg roto-molded properties are airtight, watertight, sandproof and dustproof—a must in the Middle East. Speaking about the acquisition, Murphy said, “Here are two great companies, building their products in the USA, serving two ends of the same market. Pelican brings about 50 injection molded cases for personal use and weapons transport, Hardigg with over 500 roto-mold sizes and an emphasis on custom solutions and heavy transport programs. Now we can connect the full scope of the military’s requirements, and make a difference that today’s warfighter will see.” As case manufacturers put it, when developing and deploying a military system, more often than not, the case is the last thing engineers and contractors think about. But the demand is always the same: Make it strong, but make it light. According to Britton, “We constantly are getting pushed for lighter and smaller. Obviously weight and volume drive shipping costs, drive manpower and personal requirements, so on and so forth.” Zarges sees aluminum as the answer to “tough but strong.” Other manufacturers such as Pelican and Hardigg rely on composites and plastics. “We concentrate on aluminum because it has the strength and the temperature resistance. The plastics are lower cost and some are just as strong [as aluminum], but they don’t have the range of temperature resistance,” said Britton. Someone who might disagree with Zarges’ approach is Jason Fletcher, marketing director of Oregon-based ECS Composites. “The military operates in the most extreme environments in the world. As such we need to design cases to meet those conditions and standards. That is why we use the reinforced composites to manufacture our cases. They perform well in those extreme temperatures, both hot and cold. Sterling Becklin, vice president of ECS, added, “We have three product lines today—two fiberglass lines and one www.MLF-kmi.com
otationally molded line. Some of these cases that were originally produced by my grandfather in the 1960s are still in use. The use of composites also allows us to take a modular approach to meet the demand for shorter lead times and still deliver a custom product. By simplifying and engineering our products in such a way, we are able to in essence ‘assemble to order’ and deliver product in two weeks.” But no matter how you approach making an equipment case light but strong, there really is only one goal of the design. “It all has got to work when it gets there,” said Britton. “Too often I see someone with a $50,000 piece of gear, and they’re balking at a few hundred dollars for a case.” Case manufactures like to make an analogy to insurance. They say you’d spend thousands of dollars a year to insure a $50,000 car, yet a case is a one-time purchase that will protect that gear for a lifetime. “More importantly,” Britton added, “unlike the car analogy—if the equipment gets into theater and it doesn’t work, lives could be lost. Our soldiers’ lives depend on this stuff.” THE CLOSING “CASE” Highly efficient intermodal shipping containers, super tough high-impact hardware cases, and prefab weather proof military storage containers alone may not seem like startling logistical developments. However, when looked at as part of a �� the first time, every time. When it comes to the reset, recap or operational support of military vehicles, anything less than 100% is unacceptable. Williams Logistics understands that. That’s why our factory trained and authorized technicians are experts in their field – bringing the speed, accuracy and responsiveness you demand, every time. Whether it’s Warehousing & Logistics, Technical Services, Products or Kitting & ��, with Williams Logistics, you can Consider It Done. www.wwwilliams.com PRODUCTS P synergistic whole applied by the best trained and lead military in the world, you are looking at major increases in America’s logistical capabilities. Slowly and with little fanfare over the last several decades there has been a more modular approach to military logistics, one that sees the military better equipped than ever to move cargo through ports, airfields and depots much more quickly with a minimal amount of handling. “We help move the warfighter,” said Baker. “It’s not glitzyglamour, it’s not high-tech, but ... we are able to support the warfighters in their ability to move, get there, and set up more quickly.” Echoing similar thoughts is Pelican’s Murphy: “Sometimes the work isn’t glamorous, but when we take these little steps and apply them across thousands of military applications every day, the combined result is a tactical advantage that makes a difference in the battlefield.” Or as Hamner added, “You know, [Nazi Panzer Division Field Marshal] Rommel lost a major battle in the Africa Campaign because he had no fuel for his tanks—logistics wins wars.” ✯ For more information, contact MLF Editor Jeff McKaughan at jeffm@kmimediagroup.com or search our online archives for related stories at www.MLF-kmi.com. W.W. W Williams is the nation’s leading distributor of o world-class, industrial products �� www.MLF-kmi.com MLF 3.7 | 29
Page 1 and 2: The Publication of Record for the M
Page 3 and 4: MILITARY LOGISTICS FORUM AUGUST 200
Page 5 and 6: Fight proud. Work proud. “I feel
Page 7 and 8: By Keith Lippert Vice Admiral Keith
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Page 11 and 12: Tanker Needs Rep. Jo Bonner (R-Ala.
Page 13 and 14: Because sustaining the warfighter i
Page 15 and 16: In 2001, OmniQuip modified an exist
Page 17 and 18: Tactical Logistics Support A ROUNDT
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Page 21 and 22: Metalcraft recently announced avail
Page 23 and 24: Q&A Ensuring a Continuum of Logisti
Page 25 and 26: in through the Pacific, working wit
Page 27 and 28: Pack it Up BY STEVE GOODMAN MLF COR
Page 29: to be shipped anywhere in the world
Page 34 and 35: The new task orders are the continu
Page 36 and 37: DynCorp International, with key par
Page 38 and 39: INDUSTRY INTERVIEW MILITARY LOGISTI
Page 40: Integrated ntegr Logistics Support

Theater Logistician Maj. Gen. Kenneth S. Dowd - KMI Media Group

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