Lake Charles Maintenance and Modification Center - Northrop ...

Lake Charles
Maintenance and
Modification Center
Lake Charles, La.
Superior depot repairs and
maintenance services
-- that’s what the Lake
Charles Maintenance and Modification
Center (LCMMC) provides
to our nation’s military. The site
has decades of experience in
aircraft refurbishment services,
modification work and skilled
engineering.
With more than 800,000 square
feet of hangars, repair facilities
and office space, the site is part
of a larger 1,050-acre aircraft
modification center located
at Chennault Airport. LCMMC
houses an 80,000 square-foot
fabrication shop capable of
fabricating machined and sheet
metal parts. The site performs
major subassembly repair and
overhaul, and has the capability
to manufacture hydraulic tubing
and oxygen lines. Lake Charles
serves as Northrop Grumman
Technical Services’ center
of excellence for heavy-wing
aircraft sustainment.
For the U.S. Air Force, LCMMC is
responsible for all periodic depot
maintenance on the E-8C Joint
Surveillance Target Attack Radar
System (Joint STARS) aircraft and
the KC-10 Extender, the premier
air refueling asset for the USAF.
As many as three Joint STARS
and three KC-10s are in site’s
hangars for service at any one
time. In addition to preventative
maintenance, the site’s workforce,
which averages 20 years of
experience in this work, performs
Air Force-requested modifications
and upgrades to the aircraft.
LCMMC completes work on an
average of 10 Joint STARS and 14
KC-10s per year.
Key to Northrop Grumman’s
success with Joint STARS has
been the Total System Support
Responsibility (TSSR) program.
Through TSSR, LCMMC has
shortened maintenance cycle
times and maximized aircraft
availability to the 116th Air
Control Wing, which flies the
E-8C Joint STARS. Other siteinitiated
process improvements
have contributed to the aircraft’s
high mission readiness, including
a paperless shop floor control
system and an electronic
workflow scheduling module.
Operating under accurate
metrics, made possible through
an Earned Value Management
System, the site has continually
enhanced schedule and cost
predictability for the customer.
These successes have led to
the incorporation of additional
business lines at LCMMC.
In October 2009, Northrop
Grumman was awarded a $3.8
billion dollar KC-10 Contractor

Logistics Support contract to
perform depot inspections and
repairs for the 59 aircraft fleet.
LCMMC accomplishes isochronal
checks, repairs for all required
items, and aircraft refurbishment
to keep these vital assets in
pristine condition. In addition,
LCMMC is contracted to perform
engine side cowl, nose cowl and
aft thrust reverser overhauls.
This work provides replacements
and spares for the Joint STARS
fleet.
LCMMC Performance
• Outstanding quality -- average
rework rate 1%.
• Highly motivated and skilled
workforce -- very low attrition
• Outstanding ratings on
Government Ground and
Flight Risk audits
• AS9100/ISO 9001 Quality
Management System and
ISO 14001 Environmental
Management System thirdparty
certified
www.northropgrumman.com
© 2012 Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation
All rights reserved.
TRACKING_NUMBER
• FAA Air Agency Certificate
UGMR556L since May 6, 1992.
• RFID Tool Control System
Community Involvement
Not only is Northrop Grumman
Technical Services dedicated to
economic development in the
Lake Charles area, but the sector
is also dedicated to giving back
to the community. In recent
years, the facility has made
donations totalling $50,000 on
behalf of the Northrop Grumman
Foundation to the Sowela
Technical Community College
Foundation. The donations
benefit the school’s Aviation
Maintenance Technology
department. Additionally,
personnel from the site
participate in the American
Cancer Society’s “Relay for Life,”
the March of Dimes and the local
Big Brother/Big Sister “Bowl for
Kid’s Sake.”
Awards and Recognition
In February 2010 LCMMC
received a PM100 Award from
Managing Automation Media
for Operational Excellence
for our Comprehensive Tool
Control Program. The award
recognizes companies that
achieve operational excellence
by mastering the ideas of
continuous improvement with
such tools as Six Sigma and
lean manufacturing. LCMMC’s
measurable excellence in not
only internal operations but
also in those processes that
involve customers, partners
and suppliers; the site’s
dedication to continuous
process improvement was also
a contributing factor in the
selection.
For more information contact:
Marty Thompson
337-421-2417
Martin.Thompson@ngc.com