Boeing [BA] will make its scheduling deadline for the Air Force’s Global Positioning System IIF satellite contract, according to a company statement.
Using a pulse-line manufacturing approach, Boeing is capable of producing up to six Global Positioning System IIF satellites per year, its highest production rate in company history.
“It ensures we will deliver the remaining GPS IIF satellites on schedule,” said Boeing Space and Intelligence Systems Vice President and General Manager Craig Cooning in a statement.
The next GPS IIF launch is scheduled during the third quarter of 2012, the statement said.
According to Boeing spokeswoman Diana Ball, pulse-line manufacturing entails a total of 13 production positions divided among four primary work centers: vehicle assembly, initial systems and mechanical testing, environmental testing and a final test. She said a “pulse” occurs when the vehicle moves to the next work center with each pulse about two months in duration, giving the company latitude to make adjustments, if necessary, Ball said in an email with Defense Daily.
One pulse line can accommodate four satellites at any given time and can deliver one space vehicle to storage every two to three months, according to the statement.
Boeing is currently under contract for 12 GPS IIF satellites for the Air Force, according to the statement. Two are in orbit and meeting mission requirements, two have been completed and are being stored until launch and eight are in various stages of manufacturing. Ball said the deadline for the delivery of the final satellite has not been specified, but said there is one launch scheduled in 2012 and the company can launch up to three per year, depending on the Air Force’s requirements and plans for its launch manifest.
The company incorporated lean manufacturing principles to improve the efficiency of its satellite production.
“Lean manufacturing streamlines manufacturing and test through reduced assembly steps, more efficient operational layout and an enhanced supplier management philosophy,” Ball said. “A focus on minimizing incomplete work moving across the production process minimizes cycle time, re-work and risk and improves product quality.”
According to Boeing’s website, the GPS IIF satellite has a shelf life of 12 years. The current GPS IIF contract was issued in April 1996, according to Ball.